


Matchmaker (Alternate Ending)

by MilayaMilenZeal, Night_the_Dragon



Series: Matchmaker Series [2]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, Heavy Angst, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-09
Updated: 2019-03-16
Packaged: 2019-11-14 08:15:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18048896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MilayaMilenZeal/pseuds/MilayaMilenZeal, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Night_the_Dragon/pseuds/Night_the_Dragon
Summary: Alternate ending for Matchmaker, starting in Chapter 7 of Matchmaker itself.





	1. Chapter 7

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is an ALTERNATE ending for Matchmaker, one that I recently thought about, and even though it’ll be depressing and angsty, it’ll be happy in the end, WE PROMISE!!! TRY to enjoy~

X*X(Prompto)X*X

When Prompto came to, he gave a quiet groan of pain as his eyes opened. However, upon seeing that he was alone and in an unfamiliar place, he whimpered and gave a panicked noise. As his memory came back to him, though, he remembered Noctis falling after an Iron Giant attacked, and prayed to the Six that his alpha was still alive. But when the blonde tried to move to cover his stomach, he found he couldn’t, and realized he was cuffed to a cold metal table propped vertical when he looked.

‘ _Noct… I need you…_ ’ he thought, terrified. Suddenly, he caught the unpleasant scent of Ardyn, and froze up out of fear. ‘ _No! Why him?!_ ’

Ardyn then rounded the table, coming to stand before the omega. He smirked wickedly as he said, “Oh, how Noct worries about his precious omega so.”

‘ _Oh thank the Six! He’s still alive!_ ’ Prompto thought in relief, but did his damnedest to hide the feeling from the maroon-haired alpha by glaring defiantly at him. Fortunately, Ardyn didn’t seem to notice his relief.

“But he’s not going to get to you before something happens, now will he?” At the words, the smaller male tensed. “I’ll fully enjoy seeing him break.”

“Don’t you do _anything_ to him!” Prompto immediately snarled, but the larger male merely chuckled darkly.

“Oh, it won’t be him I do anything to, my dear Prompto,” he smirked, before turning away. “Besides, what would he think of me punishing him when I have a corrupt MT in my grasp?” And with that, he left.

The unspoken threat made the blonde’s blood run cold, and he became fully terrified. He didn’t want Ardyn to even _touch_ him, let alone break Noctis by hurting Prompto. And he just _knew_ the bastard was going to rape him in order to get to Noctis.

The omega whimpered, wanting out of his restraints so he could cover his stomach. He also didn’t want anything to happen to the unborn life growing inside of him. He wouldn’t be able to bear it if he lost their baby because of this ordeal.

Then again, maybe it was best that Prompto be punished for keeping such a huge secret that would cause the others nothing but trouble. They would never look at him the same way again if they found out, especially Noctis…

He’d kept his barcode hidden for as long as he could remember, even while back in grade school with a cloth wristband. Now that had been replaced with the leather band he wore to cover it, but even during his heat he hadn’t removed it, and his alpha had never asked about it, mercifully, as he had probably been too lost in their passion to ask.

With a quiet sniffle, the tears began to flow, and despite his valid fears, he hoped beyond hope that Noctis would find him before it was too late.

 

X*X(Noctis)X*X

Noctis, in the meantime, groaned as he pushed himself up from the ground, hissing from the pain in his back that almost made his knees shake as he stood. ‘ _Gah…! How the hell did I survive that?!_ ’ he thought as he looked up toward the area he'd come from. Not that he could see it in the darkness.

And, again, he wondered if they couldn’t afford to install a few more lights as he began to walk off. However, he didn’t get far as he noticed a familiar sword jutting out from the ground, with a heavy metal arm clinging to its hilt. And after that, it didn’t take him long to spot Ravus, lying motionless on the ground only a foot away from the glaive.

Slowly, Noctis approached the weapon, and as he reached out, just as slowly, he almost jumped back when the brush of fingers caused the arm to let go and fall down onto Ravus’s chest. When no more movement followed, Noctis sighed heavily, and then grabbed the blade, yanking it out of the ground as its energy surged through him.

‘ _Ravus…thank you…_ ’ After taking another deep breath, Noctis turned to leave. He had to keep moving; he had to find Prompto before Ardyn got to him.

With his father’s sword now in hand, it was a lot easier to deal with the daemons and MT’s, but Ardyn’s taunting over the speaking was becoming somewhat weird. For some reason, the other alpha began referring to the MT’s as “innocent souls” sent out to fight a battle that wasn’t even theirs, only to be slain by a “foreign king”.

But that wasn’t as bad as what he said about _Prompto_.

“The most fascinating tidbit about your dear Prompto…”

Noctis snarled when Ardyn stopped. “What?!” he demanded icily.

“Turns out he’s not empty either. He’s got quite the ‘skeleton in his closet’.”

He decided to completely ignore those words. He knew what the bastard was trying, and it wasn’t going to work. As he hurried on along…until he reached what seemed like the top floor, with hundreds of huge ‘boxes’ set in the walls. The boxes took second place to the giant contraption that was installed in the ceiling, glowing an ominous red.

“Don't like that one bit…”

After fighting his way through the following halls and even getting caught in Ardyn’s trap, Ignis and Gladio _finally_ caught up to him, and after that, it was only a matter of moments (or so it felt), before they reached what looked like a dungeon. And Noctis gasped as he spotted a familiar figure at the very back.

“PROMPTO!!” he shouted as he ran over. The blonde looked up weakly, his eyes red and puffy from crying.

“Noct…?” he whispered, almost unsure of what he was seeing and hearing. And then he whimpered loudly when he realized his alpha was really, truly there.

Noctis nearly shoved the metal bars aside as he and Gladio began moving around to try and get Prompto out of his restraints. “Just hold on; we’re getting you out of there.”

Prompto nodded a little, still tired from everything. Finally, they managed to find the unlocking mechanism, and as soon as Prompto was let free, Noctis caught him, and his omega trembled with emotion against the raven as he began to cry.

“Ssshh…it’s okay, I’ve got you…Ssshhh…” Noctis assured him, holding him close and gently rocking him. The smaller male eventually managed to find the soothing feeling in the gentle rocking, and he slowly but surely started to calm down, his sobs finally turning into sniffles and hiccups before even those stopped.

“Thank you…Noct…” he breathed as he looked up at his alpha, his voice a little hoarse from crying. “I…I was _terrified_ Ardyn would use me to…to get to you…”

However, Noctis gently shushed him again as he gently rubbed his back. “Easy, Prom…it’s okay…c’mon…” he murmured starting to lead the blonde down the hall and back to the resting quarters.

“We’ll stand guard outside. Take your time,” Ignis told Noctis softly once they had gotten to them. He knew the couple needed some time alone, and for Prompto to rest, even if it took a bit. The raven nodded his head in thanks and led Prompto into the room without a word. The smaller male allowed himself to be guided in, and they sat on one of the bunks, Prompto practically curling up in Noctis’s lap.

“…I missed you…” he whispered against the prince’s chest.

Noctis smiled softly as he wrapped his arms firmly around the blonde’s shoulders. “I know… I missed you, too…”

His omega curled even closer, before raising his head and pressing his lips to Noctis’s in a needy manner. Though he was a bit startled at the move, Noctis returned the kiss quietly, placing one hand on the back of Prompto’s head and holding him close tenderly. Prompto whined quietly, before pulling back, his face just showing how mentally and physically exhausted he was.

“I…I want you…but…tired…” the blonde mumbled, leaning his head against his alpha’s chest.

“It’s okay, Prom…” Noctis murmured lovingly as he kissed his forehead. “Rest… I’ll be here when you wake up.”

“…kay…” Prompto sighed, before his breathing evened out and he fell asleep, relieved to be with his alpha again.

Once he was sure Prompto was asleep, Noctis smiled before he called out quietly, “Gladio, Ignis, you can come in.”

The aforementioned pair came in, keeping quiet for their sleeping friend. “How is he?” Gladio asked quietly as Ignis sat down across from the couple.

“I think he’s okay…” Noctis said softly, rubbing his hand along the sleeping blonde’s back. “Just tired…both mentally and physically…”

“I can only imagine. Being separated from one’s alpha while pregnant is emotionally draining,” Ignis murmured.

“Well, now we wait,” the brunette shrugged, leaning against a post.

“Yeah…” Noctis murmured softly, leaning back against the wall and pulling Prompto so he laid next to him on the bed, his head still on the alpha’s chest, right over his heart.

 

X*X*X*X*X*X*X

It was a few hours late when Prompto woke, still tired but feeling a bit better, enough so for them to all continue on. As they headed back out to the area where Noctis had been attacked by MT’s before reuniting with Gladio and Ignis in the next hallway, Ignis perked up.

“Noct, do you hear that?” he asked.

“Hear what?” Noctis asked in return.

“I’ve heard this sound before—on the train, just before your weapons failed you. It’s nearby, and it may hold the key to restoring your power,” the beta explained, and then they entered the area. “It’s here.”

Noctis frowned as he recognized the area; it was where all the MT’s had jumped him earlier. However, that didn’t help them now, since the large circular room in the center appeared to be locked by some sort of locking mechanism. And unfortunately, the keycard he’d swiped didn’t seem to work here. “Damn…no way in…”

“There’s a way…” Prompto murmured suddenly, moving away from his alpha a bit. Going up to the scanner by the door, he held the back of his band-covered wrist up to it, allowing it to scan his barcode the others didn’t know existed. The scanner beeped, turning green, and then the door opened. “So, MT’s…” he mumbled, trailing off as he bit his lip nervously. “They got those codeprints…just like I do…”

When that happened, Noctis gasped in slight surprise, before he turned to Prompto in a combination of shock and confusion.

The blonde whimpered, tears burning behind his eyes again. He was scared shitless that Noctis wouldn’t want him anymore after this. “So, as it turns out…I’m one of them…” He paused to swallow thickly. “Not exactly something I could tell people growing up in Lucis… Still… You guys are like…the only friends I’ve ever known…” Looking away, he added quietly, “I just hope that things can stay the way they were…”

“Whatever,” Noctis said almost immediately after. “Who cares where you were born?”

“I don’t see you turning against us. Not now, or ever,” Ignis added. Prompto blinked, shocked by the words.

“Thanks… Still…I can’t change where I came from… What I am…” he mumbled.

Noctis almost groaned in frustration before he said firmly, but with a fond look in his eyes, “Since when does where you come from matter to you?” The blonde looked at Noctis, uncertain, but hope still in his bright blue eyes.

“You never once treated _me_ as a prince,” Noctis said, lightly knocking his fist against Prompto’s chest, a cheeky smirk on his face.

“He’s got you there,” Gladio chuckled.

“Never once so much as a ‘Highness’,” Ignis smirked.

“We’re done here,” the raven said with another half-chuckle. “C’mon, crown citizen.”

“You’re one of us, right?” Gladio asked as he guided Ignis inside, lightly clapping the blonde on his back. Even then, Prompto stared after them, stunned.

“Unless you’d rather not be,” Ignis quipped once inside. This seemed to snap the pregnant male out of his daze, and he hurried after, returning to his alpha’s side with a relieved noise escaping him. Smiling at his omega, the raven reached out and hugged him around his shoulders briefly, before he turned to the machine inside. Then, with a glare, he gave a roar as he lashed out with his father’s glaive, smashing the console to bits.

“So…did it work?” Prompto asked, frowning a little as the lights above outside the room flickered.

“With the device down and out, Noct’s power should be up and running,” the sandy blonde replied.

“Go on, try it,” Gladio told Noctis.

“Alright,” Noctis murmured. “Moment of truth.”

As he held up his hand, he breathed for a moment more, before he clenched his fist—which

had a blade materializing in his hand with a spark of crystalline shards. Prompto gave a pleased grin and laugh, playfully slapping his alpha on his ass.

“We’re back, baby,” Gladio smirked. As they walked out of the room, the Iron Giant that had attacked Noctis and Prompto before suddenly landed in front of them with a crash, a horde of more daemons along with it, drawing a startled yelp from Prompto.

“Aw, come on!” he yelled.

“Not you again!” Noctis snarled out at the daemon. They were quick to take out the daemons, and then made their way to the hangar, where Ardyn addressed them over the speakers again.

“Your Majesty, your precious Crystal awaits you,” the maroon-haired alpha said, as the door opened and someone—or something—walked through. “To liven things up, I thought I’d take you on a stroll down memory lane. Of course, memories decay with time.”

“Oh god no…!” Noctis choked out. “Ravus…!”

“Is that really Ravus?” Gladio frowned darkly.

“Or what’s left of him…” Prompto murmured, feeling bad for the creature before them that had once been Ravus.

“Dammit…!” Noctis hissed as the pitiful creature before them roared out in what could only be called agony.

“Kill me…end it…!”

And with that, the fight began. Prompto did his best to stay out of harm’s way, firing shots and using Piercer on Noctis’s command from a safe distance away from Ravus’s attacks. At one point, he had to rely on his alpha to point-warp them to safety out of range of an attack, but Noctis was more than prepared to do so, landing safely on the ground after the attack and then they would continue fighting alongside Ignis and Gladio. Finally, Ravus was defeated, collapsing on the ground as he dropped his sword, dead.

“A sorry end for the high commander—for anyone,” Gladio mumbled. “He was a man with hopes and dreams.”

“It’s horrible…” Prompto whispered, tucking himself into Noctis’s side.

“What kind of fiend makes daemons of men?” Ignis frowned, the question clearly rhetorical, before Ravus’s body faded into darkness. As Prompto and Noctis watched, suddenly, Gladio called out a warning.

“Look alive—company!” he shouted, as a seemingly endless horde of daemons came down upon them all. “We’re getting nowhere!” the brunette snarled, slashing through several with his broadsword.

“And they just keep coming!” Prompto wailed, firing another dozen shots.

“Noct, you must go on alone,” Ignis told the raven.

“What?!” Noctis choked out.

“If you can obtain the Crystal’s power, we may yet be able to turn the tide,” the beta pointed out. “Elsewise, we are all likely to perish here.”

“Iggy’s right. It’s our only chance!” Gladio agreed.

“But what about you?!” Noctis asked as he dodged another goblin.

“We’ll be fine, just go!” Prompto yelled.

However, Noctis snarled softly, before he warped toward Prompto, grabbing his arm. “I’m NOT leaving you behind again,” he snarled softly. At the fierce tone, Prompto gave in without hesitation, and he remained close to Noctis as they hurried off to the Crystal.

As they took the freight elevator down, a mechanical voice echoed out over the speakers. “Hangar gate closing. Please stand clear.”

“Shit!!” Noctis hissed, snagging up Prompto in his arms. “Hold on!” he hissed before he began to dash for the gate. Prompto clung to his alpha, his eyes wide as he watched, before burying his face into Noctis’s chest. Noctis ran as fast as his legs could carry him while he was carrying Prompto. And despite the daemons that kept popping up to try and stop him, and Ardyn calling over the speakers, somehow he managed to make it to the gate before it closed. However, just before it did, he turned around, back toward the area where Ignis and Gladio were still fighting.

“They’ll be fine, Noct, but we need to get to the Crystal,” his omega pointed out quietly.

“…yeah…” he murmured, before he set Prompto down and they turned around and began to hurry along. Eventually, they reached the Crystal, and Prompto stared at it, awed by its beauty. He’d never seen the Crystal before this. The Crystal was large, almost as big as Noctis, and you could _see_ the magic flowing off of it in waves. It was almost enchanting if the situation wasn’t as dire as it was.

“…Go for it, Noct,” Prompto whispered, looking at his alpha.

The alpha nodded once, and then, Noctis took a deep breath and held out his hand to the large gemstone. “Please…” he murmured. “Help me stop the daemons…”

Initially, it was almost as if the Crystal wasn't going to respond to the presence of Noctis, despite the ring of the Lucii on his finger proving him as the rightful heir. But then…

“Ah!!” Noctis cried as he suddenly staggered forward, his hand passing through the Crystal. “Wh-why!?”

“Noct!!” Prompto cried out, trying to grab his hand that wasn’t trapped by the Crystal. “No!!”

Sadly, despite both Noctis and Prompto’s efforts, they could only watch in horror as more and more of Noctis’s arm was pulled into the Crystal, effectively dragging the prince up from the ground. Unfortunately, Prompto couldn’t even hold on any longer, and tears began to flow freely as he watched his alpha get slowly sucked into the Crystal, the last thing the raven seeing being his omega’s terrified, tear-filled face until he was out of sight.

“Unharmed by the Light. The Chosen King, indeed,” Ardyn’s voice stated coldly as Prompto looked back fearfully to see the maroon-haired alpha. Before he could get too close to the blonde, though, Gladio and Ignis were quick to appear, broadsword and lance held up to keep Ardyn away from Prompto. With a small snort, Ardyn turned and walked away, smirking slightly as he murmured, “I’ll see you in Lucis.”

Once he was definitely gone, Ignis turned to Prompto, kneeling down to the pregnant male’s level and placing a soothing hand on his shoulder. “Noct will be back, Prompto. You have to stay strong,” he told him calmly.

“……” Prompto didn’t say anything in response, instead feeling like he’d lost part of himself when Noctis disappeared into the Crystal. He felt crushed, to be completely honest.

“Come on. We can’t stay here. It’s too dangerous,” Gladio said, feeling truly awful for the smaller male. He and Ignis knew Noctis would be gone for a long time, and wouldn’t even be able to be with his omega when their child was born. Yes, the blonde would have his friends to help him, but it wouldn’t be the same as having his alpha. When Gladio spoke, however, Prompto didn’t move, before his eyelids slipped closed and he slumped forward, Ignis barely managing to catch him in time so he didn’t hurt himself.

“Mind carrying him Gladio?” the beta asked quietly.

“Not at all,” the brunette mumbled, before scooping Prompto up and then leading the way out of there.

 

X*X*X*X*X*X*X

As they hitched a ride in Aranea’s airship to go back to Lucis, Prompto still unconscious, Gladio looked to Ignis.

“…How are we going to tell him, Iggy? It’s gonna crush him,” the alpha asked quietly.

“…” Ignis didn’t reply immediately, lightly tapping his fingers along the floor. “…It won’t do to beat around the bush with him… Much as it hurts, he needs to know. But as to ‘how’… I’m not sure…”

“This bites…” Gladio sighed heavily. “Now it’s just a game of survival until Noct comes back…” Ignis hummed softly in agreement, but he said nothing else for the time being.

Just then, Aranea came over. “Hey there, boys,” she said. “We’re about to land, so better get ready.”

“Thanks, Aranea,” Gladio nodded, carefully scooping Prompto up when they did land.

“Yes, thank you,” Ignis said as he climbed up carefully, slowly following after.

“Anytime, boys. Take care of him and yourselves,” the bounty hunter told them, before letting them out.

Stepping out onto the streets of Lestallum, Ignis could hear everyone panicking and trying hard to keep the daemons out, and that worried him. “…Gladio, how bad is it?”

“It’s bad, Iggy,” Gladio growled. “Mind if I help them out while you and Prompto stay somewhere safe? I’ll be back.”

“That’s fine.”

Suddenly, though...

“…Sir Amicitia?”

“Huh?” the brunette uttered, looking to the source of the call. The man walking over had dark hair that seemed to have an almost greenish sheen to it. While the clothes he wore seemed casual enough, he did wear a fingerless glove with a familiar mark on the back of it; the mark of the King’s Glaive.

“Who are you?” Gladio asked, confused.

The man regarded Gladio for a moment, before he snorted lightly. “…Surely, sir, it hasn’t been _that_ long since the fall of the Crown City…” he said solemnly.

“…wait…” Ignis said, frowning in thought. “That voice…are you…Valanx?”

“…I am.”

“Gah, sorry, Valanx,” Gladio apologized. “It seems it’s been longer in my head than reality.”

“That’s fine, sir,” Valanx said, nodding softly.

“Valanx, if you’re alive…are there any more of you?” Ignis asked, a small hint of relief coming over him.

“Yes, sir,” the Glaive said. “We’ve only just made it to Lestallum… The majority of us are working to help people barricade the city…”

“Thank the Six…” Gladio hissed through his teeth. “I’ll come and help you all, let me just get Prompto and Ignis to safety.”

“The Leville is still standing…” Valanx said, pointing in the direction of the hotel. “It’s being used for refugees mostly…but they will offer you a safe place to stay.”

“Right. Thank you, Valanx,” the large alpha nodded, before leading Ignis and carrying Prompto to the Leville. “You’ll be okay for now?” he asked Ignis quietly as he gently set Prompto down on a bed in one of the rooms.

“Yes, we’ll be fine. Just go,” Ignis said with a nod.

“I’ll be back,” the brunette promised, before heading off to rejoin Valanx, and help out in the efforts to defend Lestallum. Once he was gone, however, Prompto began to stir, groaning quietly.

Ignis heard, of course, and he turned himself toward Prompto, even if he couldn’t see the blonde. “Are you awake, Prompto?”

“…Yeah…even though I’d rather not be…” the omega mumbled miserably, carefully sitting up, a hand on his swollen stomach.

“Prompto…”

“It’s not fair, Iggy, and you and I both know it…” Prompto muttered bitterly, tears forming in his eyes again. “You and Gladio helped to get us together, and Noct was there for everything, even my heat, and now…he’s not here…” Closing his eyes in despair, he asked the beta, “He’s not coming back for a long time, isn’t he…?”

Ignis didn’t say anything. However, he got up and slowly, carefully, walked over, using his hand to determine where everything was before he sat down on the bed next to Prompto. “We don’t know how long he’ll take,” Ignis said honestly. “But he’ll be back… You _know_ he will.”

“Just gotta keep faith…” the blonde sighed heavily, his voice quivering, before burying his face into his knees, despite his stomach.

Ignis reached out and, after a bit of fumbling, he placed his hand on the blonde’s shoulder. “He’ll be back…and he’ll be back before you know it…” Ignis promised. “He won’t leave you alone…”

“……” Prompto wasn’t even able to muster up a reply this time, as something in his heart told him his alpha wasn’t coming back for a long time. Yeah, he would be back eventually, but not soon enough. Ignis silently sat there, rubbing Prompto’s back soothingly.


	2. Chapter 8

X*X(6 Months Later)X*X

Prompto sat in the rocking chair in the small nursery that had been, mercifully, provided for him by his friends during the last six months of his pregnancy, gently rocking the newborn twins he held in his arms. Both were tiny raven-haired alphas, one boy, named Zack, and one girl, named Regina. As he sat there, lightly rocking his babies, he couldn’t help but feel hurt that Noctis wasn’t there for his labor and the birth of their children. He knew it wasn’t by choice, but he couldn’t help the hurt he felt.

 

X*X(Flashback, 6 Hours Prior)X*X

“Come on, Prompto, you can do it! You’re so close to having your first child!” Iris encouraged as Prompto pushed, screaming at the top of his lungs.

‘ _I want Noct here…! I want him here so bad…!_ ’ Prompto thought desperately. He wanted nothing more than his alpha there to comfort him through this painful time, but the raven _wasn’t there_.

“I can see the first child’s head, Prompto! Keep pushing!” Iris told him, and Prompto whimpered loudly before resuming pushing. He wanted Noctis there to hold and comfort him, but he couldn’t have that because his alpha was in the Crystal. Suddenly, after a sharp pain, the blonde heard loud wailing, and Iris calling out, telling him to stop.

“It’s a girl, and she’s perfectly healthy,” Iris informed him with a small smile, carefully passing her to Ignis, who, with Gladio’s help, was able to clean the small girl up while Iris turned back to Prompto. “Now for the other one. Push!”

As Prompto resumed pushing, tears streamed down his cheeks as he thought in desperation, ‘ _Noct… I **need** you…!!_’

 

X*X(Present)X*X

“I hope your father comes home to us soon…” Prompto whispered, holding the twins close. Almost in response, Regina gave a sleepy grumble as she snuggled up closer to Prompto, as if she could feel his distress.

Then, there was a polite knock on the door that Prompto would recognize anywhere.

“Come in, Ignis,” the omega murmured, before kissing his daughter’s forehead.

Ignis walked into the room slowly. “How are you doing?” he asked softly, carrying a tray in hand.

“A little better… I just wish…” the blonde started to say, but trailed off, knowing that Ignis would know what he was going to say.

The Advisor said nothing as he walked over, setting the tray on the nightstand. “He’ll be back soon,” Ignis assured him, once again. Prompto, though, merely hummed, acknowledging the beta’s words. Despite what Ignis had said, Prompto still knew, deep down, that his alpha _wasn’t_ going to be back soon. Suddenly, Zack sniffled as he woke up, before gurgling up at his mother.

“Hungry, you two?” the blonde asked softly. Regina gave a small sound as well as she opened her eyes, pouting a little at the blonde omega. “All right, I’ll feed you guys,” Prompto smiled slightly.

“Buh!” Regina whined.

“Need me to help you, Prompto?”

“I think I’ll be okay…” Prompto murmured. “Gotta get used to it, anyway…”

“…Alright,” Ignis said slowly, clearly worried. “Don’t hesitate to call on us, okay?”

“I won’t, Ignis,” the blonde said, still not facing the beta, simply reaching over and taking the bottles Ignis had brought on the tray, one at a time, and then carefully supporting each of the twins as he began to feed them. Ignis said nothing else, merely nodding once before leaving the room again.

Gladio, who was waiting outside the nursery, leaning against the wall, asked Ignis once the door was closed, “How is he?”

“He’s definitely not doing well…but he’s too stubborn to ask for help.”

“You know he’s doing his damnedest to hide it,” Gladio sighed heavily. “And he knows he’s failing miserably. Until it starts to affect the twins, I don’t think there’s much we can do except be there for him and them.”

Ignis merely nodded his head. “Right… We just need to be sure we’re there for him when that happens.”

“Of course.”

Meanwhile, Prompto was focused entirely on feeding the twins, despite the depression he knew was affecting him. And he knew damn well it wasn’t post-partum depression. It was all because his alpha wasn’t there. And he just _knew_ , in his heart, that Noctis was going to miss so many of the twins’ firsts. Their first words, their first steps, their first call for their mom…and their dad…

Prompto’s vision began to blur with tears again, and he shook his head slightly as he tried to blink his tears away. He would never regret having the twins, of course, but had he known Noctis was going to disappear the way he had, he would have insisted on the raven waiting before taking him in heat.

‘ _Dammit, Noct… I miss you so much…_ ’ the blonde thought miserably, until Zack gained his attention when he was finished by whimpering at his mother, looking concerned.

“Sorry, sweetie…” the omega whispered, setting Zacks’s bottle aside and smiling sadly at him. “I just miss your daddy…” Regina mewled at the blonde’s words, tugging on his shirt with a whine. “I know he’ll be back…but it won’t be soon enough for my liking…” Prompto sighed.

“Bub?”

“You’ll see, whenever he comes home…” the blonde murmured, hugging the twins close to himself. “I love you two so much…” Hearing the oncoming tears in his mother’s voice, Zack whined, but didn’t cry, merely snuggling closer. His sister also whined, curling her little hand into Prompto’s shirt, pressing her face against his chest lazily.

After several minutes of this, Prompto sighed softly. “I’d best get you two to bed. I know you need the sleep.” And with that said, the omega quietly stood, before tucking them twins into the same crib, allowing them to hold each other so they could sleep better. Once they were sleeping, Prompto went back to the rocking chair, where he sat down, staring out the window with silent tears running down his cheeks.

 

X*X(2 Years Later)X*X

It had already been two years since the twins had been born, and two and a half years since Noctis had been drawn into the Crystal. Prompto still missed his alpha like crazy, but with the distraction of caring for the twins, it didn’t affect him as much until they were sleeping. Whenever the twins were sleeping, Prompto would be alone in his room, unable to keep himself from being dragged back into depression every single time. He typically cried himself to sleep more often than not, over the grief of not having Noctis there with him. However, he still managed to keep his spirits up for his children.

“…Mur…!” came from the playpen suddenly, as Regina woke up and rolled over from her afternoon nap (though you couldn’t tell with the lack of sunlight outside).

“Hm…?” Prompto hummed, before wiping his face clear of the signs of his crying before getting out of bed. “Hey, you two,” he smiled as Zack did the same as his sister, before sitting up. “Sleep good?”

Of course, there was no real response, as Regina reached up to rub at her eyes. However, after a moment, she looked up and held up her hands. And then…

“Maaa…”

“What’s wrong, Regina?”

“Maaamaaaaa…!”

“All right, all right, sweetie,” the blonde chuckled softly, picking her up. “Better?” he asked, kissing her forehead, even as Zack giggled.

“Bub!”

“You’re so silly, Regina,” her mother smiled, running his fingers gently through her ebony locks. Already, she was starting to resemble Noctis so much…

“…? Mama?” the little girl asked, looking at him curiously.

“It’s okay, sweetie,” Prompto assured her. “Mama’s okay.”

“Mama…” Zack whined, looking at him worriedly.

“Mama’s okay,” the omega repeated, smiling soothingly at the twins.

“…hugs?” Regina suddenly said, holding up her hands to Prompto’s neck.

“Of course, Regina,” Prompto smiled, shifting his hold on her so that they were hugging. The little girl made a small noise as she snuggled up close. After a moment of this, though…

“…Zack a’so!”

“Mama!” Zack called in a whine, holding out his arms pleadingly.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart, I gotcha,” Prompto chuckled softly, scooping Zack up and hugging him close, too.

“Luff you, Mama!” Zack chirped as he was hugged.

“Luff yous!” Regina echoed, smiling warmly at the omega.

“I love you both, too, so much,” Prompto smiled back, hugging the twins firmly. They remained like that for a little while, until he heard their small stomachs grumble a little. “You two want a snack?”

“Yes pwease!” the little girl chirped with a smile.

“Pwetty pweae, Mama!” Zack added.

“All right. You two stay here while I fix a small snack for you, kay?” Prompto chuckled softly, setting them back into the playpen. “After your snack, we’ll see about Uncle Iggy and Uncle Gladdy coming over to play, too.”

“Yay!” Zack cheered. Regina giggled happily as she crawled over to go pick up her favorite plushie, a black Chocochick. Zack copied her, crawling over to his own favorite plushie, a stuffed wolf, before cuddling with it.

While the twins played with their toys and plushies, Prompto headed to the kitchen, fixing them a simple snack that he was lucky to be able to make due to having a little bit of produce: bugs on a log. Just raisins, peanut butter, and celery sticks, and Prompto cut the celery into bite-size pieces so the twins wouldn’t choke on them. Once assembled, he put the pieces onto two plates and headed back to the living room, a small smile on his face.

“All right, you two, got your snack,” he called as he re-entered the room. The twins smiled at the call and proceeded to crawl over, dragging their plushies with them as they gurgled. Regina reached the bars first and pushed herself up against the bars to reach for the snack. “Make sure to chew with this one, okay?” Prompto warned as he sat down with them in the pen. “I don’t want either of you to choke on this. This was one of my favorite snacks as a kid.”

“Tank yous, Mama!” Zack smiled brightly as he took a piece of his snack, chewing on it and making a happy noise. “Yum-yum!”

“Tankies!” Regina said, as she began to eat happily, as well.

“What do you think? Good, huh?” Prompto asked them after a minute.

“Yep!” Zack grinned.

“Mmhmm!”

“Good to know,” the blonde smiled. “We’ll call Uncle Gladdy and Iggy once you’re all done, kay?”

“Okies!” Zack nodded. Regina smiled with a giggle, as she happily finished off her snack.

“Better?” Prompto asked, lightly poking her tummy in a teasing manner as Zack finished his snack, too.

“Eep!” the little girl yipped, pouting. The reaction made Zack giggle, even as their mother kissed each of their foreheads.

“All right, let’s call your uncles,” he said, pulling out his phone and pulling up Gladio’s phone number and calling him.

“Hey Prompto,” the large alpha greeted when he answered. “What’s up?”

“Just was wondering if you and Ignis would be able to come by when you’re done for today. Regina and Zack would like to see their uncles,” the blonde said, smiling at the twins.

“I don’t see an issue,” Gladio chuckled. “How ‘bout, you, Iggy?”

Ignis chuckled in the background. “I don’t see why not. We have time.”

“Thanks, guys,” the omega told them. “Any idea when you’ll be able to come over?”

“Probably in half an hour…if nothing else comes up.”

“Well, I hope nothing comes up, then,” Prompto chuckled. “We’ll see you guys soon, then.”

“See you soon, Prompto,” Gladio nodded, a smirk in his voice, before the call ended.

“Looks like your uncles are coming to visit,” the blonde told the twins.

“Yaaay!” Regina cheered, as Zack grinned happily.

“All right, you two. Let’s play until they get here,” Prompto smiled. “Who wants a piggy-back ride first?”

“Me!” Regina cheered happily.

“Zack? You want one, too?” the omega asked.

“…Regi first!” the little boy replied.

“Okay, but I’ll make sure you get your turn,” his mother promised.

“Kay!”

With that settled, Prompto picked Regina up, and then got her settled against his back. “All good, Regina?”

“Uh-huh!” the girl chirped with a smile.

“Good! Then off we go!” the omega laughed, as he carried her around the apartment, Zack giggling madly as he watched from the playpen.

“Yaaay!” Regina cheered as she held on tight, giggling all the way. This went on for a good 15 minutes, and then Prompto set her down in the playpen.

“Okay, Zack’s turn,” he chuckled, kissing his daughter’s forehead before picking Zack up and settling him on his back, like he had with Regina. “Ready, Zack?”

“Yepyep!” the little boy chirped with a grin.

“Okay!” Prompto grinned as well, and then carried Zack around the apartment, too, much like he had with Regina. And as Regina watched, still giggling, she held onto her plushie firmly.

After about another 15 minutes, though, there was a familiar knock on the door. This caused Prompto to stop, before he carried Zack to the door, adjusting his grip on his son against his back before answering it.

“Hey guys,” he greeted.

“Unkie Gwaddy! Unkie Iggy!” Zack cheered.

“Heya squirt,” Gladio chuckled, ruffling the small boy’s hair.

Ignis smiled as he heard the boy shout, nodding briefly. “Hello, young man,” he said calmly, before he turned to Prompto (as best as he could), “I assume Regina’s still in the pen?”

“Yeah. Couldn’t exactly give them both piggy-back rides at the same time,” Prompto pointed out, leading his friends back to the living room. “Regina, your uncles are here.”

“Unc Iggy! Unc Gwaddy!” Regina called out happily.

“Heya Regina,” Gladio chuckled at her excitement, before looking to Prompto. “Here, I’ll keep them occupied while you guys get dinner going.”

“Thanks, Gladio,” the blonde nodded, setting Zack down in the playpen. “Iggy and I will be back, okay?”

“Okies!” Zack chirped.

As Regina scampered over to Gladio, Ignis and Prompto headed for the kitchen. When they stepped into the kitchen, though, Ignis asked, “They seem to be doing well…”

“Yeah… It helps that Iris checks in whenever you guys can’t,” the omega murmured, lightly fingering the locket around his neck. He’d managed to find it in the rubble in Lestallum during the first few months there, and had it cleaned up so he could put a picture of himself and Noctis in it. And Ignis knew this, too.

“She does her best, yes…” Ignis said as he began setting up what they needed for dinner. “…Ah, right. There’s something for you in the bag as well. It’s off to the side in its own bag.”

“Huh?” Prompto uttered, before going to the bag his friends had brought, and searching through it for the item Ignis had mentioned. He froze when he pulled it out and saw what it was: suppressants. In all reality, it was for the best, in case Noctis wasn’t back in six years, and that way Prompto wouldn’t have to suffer through his heat alone. Granted, that was a while away, but the omega knew it was for the best, even though it hurt to think about. “…Thanks…”

“Don’t worry about it… I just hope you won’t need to use them when it does hit,” Ignis said sincerely.

“I hope not, either…” the omega sighed.

As they worked on dinner, they could hear the twins laughing and squealing happily as they played with Gladio. This made the Advisor smile. “At least they’re having fun…”

“Yeah…” Prompto nodded, smiling faintly. “…I know you can’t see it, but Regina’s already starting to look so much like Noct…”

“Does she now?” Ignis chuckled, before he turned half-serious. “She might prove to be quite a handful, then…”

“I’m sure she’ll be okay. I’m doing my best for her and Zack,” Prompto replied.

Ignis nodded his head. “I know you are. Still…don’t try to do all of this on your own, alright?”

“I know… But it’s hard when you guys aren’t always available…” the blonde admitted quietly. “I know it’s not always feasible for you guys to always be here, what with the daemons running amok…”

“I understand, but we’ll always do our best to make time for you and the twins.”

“Thank you…” Prompto murmured softly. Ignis nodded, as they finished their measly dinner with the few ingredients still available to them. Prompto carried the plates out, calling out to the twins that dinner was ready, before they soon settled down to eat together. And even as they ate, the blonde focused on the twins, trying to keep his thoughts off of Noctis so as to keep his spirits up.


	3. Chapter 9

X*X(5 Years Later)X*X

The twins were now seven years old, and it had been seven and a half years since Noctis had disappeared into the Crystal. Prompto still cried himself to sleep half the time when he was alone, and once the twins were four and a half, when Noctis had been gone for five years, he started to feel perpetually cold. No one could tell that he was cold physically, but he had started to bundle up, trying to keep warm. He knew it was because of his alpha being gone for so long, but there wasn’t a thing the blonde could do about it. However, Prompto still kept himself together for the twins’ sake.

“…Ma?” When Prompto looked up, he spotted Regina standing by the door, looking at him worriedly. “…what’s wrong?” she asked softly.

“Sorry, sweetie…” Prompto apologized. “Just…thinking about your father again… Did I wake you?”

“…I’m not tired…” she admitted, walking over.

“Right, sorry, Regina,” the omega smiled slightly, waving her over for a hug. The small raven came over quickly and swiftly hugged her mother. “I love you,” Prompto murmured, kissing her cheek.

“Love you, too, Ma,” she said back, pressing closer, still. However, he could tell she wanted to say something else, still.

“What’s on your mind, princess?” the omega asked. “I know you wouldn’t leave your brother alone just to come give me a hug. Do you wanna talk about it?”

“…I had a weird dream…”

“Oh?”

“I dunno… It was…bright…and blue…and…there was a voice…” she murmured softly.

Curious, her mother quirked a brow before asking, “What did the voice say?”

“…it said…‘You are almost ready, Chosen King’…”

At the words, Prompto stiffened, knowing _immediately_ who that voice was referring to. How the hell Regina ended up dreaming about her father, he had no clue, but Prompto was honestly terrified when he felt his hopes flare up. After all, his alpha had been gone for seven and a half years, and he didn’t want to become too hopeful that Noctis would be back _that_ soon. Because if his hopes crashed and burned with reality, the omega would be crushed.

Sighing heavily, he looked at his daughter. “Mind getting your brother for me? I think it’s time I told you two more about your father,” Prompto murmured.

“…? Okay, Ma…” Regina said, and she headed out to get her brother. It didn’t take too long, and soon, Zack trailed into Prompto’s bedroom after his sister.

“Everything okay, Mom?” he asked, concerned.

“I don’t know, to be honest,” Prompto murmured. “Come on over and sit with me, kay?” Once the twins were sitting with their mother on his bed, the omega said, “I need to tell you both more about your father, and why he’s been gone for so long.”

“What do you mean, Mom?” Zack frowned, tilting his head like a confused puppy.

“I never really told you much about your father, other than he’s not here with us, right?” Prompto pointed out. Regina slowly nodded, looking a bit worried now. “Well, there’s a lot more to him than that. He’s not here not because he doesn’t want to be, but because he can’t.”

“Huh?” Zack uttered, confused.

“Regina, that dream you had…where everything was bright and blue, and you heard that voice… That had to be from your father’s perspective,” the blonde told her, before focusing on both of the twins. “Back when I was still pregnant with you two, six months before you were both born, your father disappeared into the Crystal, right before my eyes. There was nothing I could do, I’ll be honest… And the Crystal…was bright blue. It was the source of light for Insomnia, and when your father disappeared into it, the sun vanished, too. It hasn’t risen since then.”

“We know some of the story from our studies…” Zack said quietly. “But Dad’s the King?”

“Yes.”

“…Wait…so…does…does that mean we’re…royalty, too?” Regina asked with wide eyes.

“Of course,” Prompto smiled slightly. “And you both take after him so much. I’ve never shown you this picture, but…” he then took off his locket and unclasped it, opening it so the twins could see the picture of their father and mother together inside. Zack’s jaw dropped when he saw Noctis in the picture, shocked, while his sister gasped sharply.

“That’s…Dad?” she asked slowly.

“Yeah. His name is Noctis Lucis Caelum,” Prompto nodded. “So, your last name is also Lucis Caelum.” Unable to say another word, Regina reached for the locket, and lightly ran her fingers over it, eyes still on the picture inside. “…He’s been gone ever since the Crystal took him in, and I’ve been waiting for him to return to us…” Prompto admitted softly. “I miss him so much, and I’ll be honest, it hurts to think about him sometimes, I miss him that much. But Regina, your dream made me think that maybe, just _maybe_ , he’ll be home soon.”

“How soon do you think Dad will be home, Mom?” Zack asked, glancing at his twin worriedly.

“I’m not sure, to be honest…” the blonde said honestly. “But I’m hoping soon.”

“…Does…does Dad know about us?” the oldest twin asked slowly.

“We only thought I would have one child, so he doesn’t know I had two… I was still pregnant with you two when he disappeared…” Prompto confessed. “I sure, whenever he emerges from the Crystal, he’ll realize it’s been that long that I’ll have already had you by now. Not that he’ll know he’s a father to _two_ amazing children.” At this, he smiled, lightly ruffling both of their hair.

The kids giggled in response, and they fixed up their hair a bit. However, once she’d fixed it, Regina frowned a bit.

“…Ma?”

“Hm?”

“Can we sleep here tonight?”

“You know what? I think that’s a great idea,” Prompto smiled genuinely. “I think we need that, after everything I just shared, huh?”

“Definitely,” Zack agreed.

“Thanks, Ma,” Regina said gratefully as they all climbed in Prompto’s bed.

“Anytime, princess,” the blonde murmured, holding the twins close as they went back to sleep.

 

X*X(2 ½ Years Later)X*X

It had finally been 10 years to the day when Noctis had disappeared into the Crystal. Prompto was with the twins, now nine and a half years old, at Hammerhead, spending the “day” with Ignis and Gladio and their friends, as well as the other Kingsglaive members and hunters. This was so Prompto didn’t spiral into depression from the reminder that Noctis _still_ wasn’t home. After that day when Regina had shared with Prompto about her dream, the blonde felt as though his hopes were steadily being dashed, as he had even gone back to being on suppressants a year and a half prior. He wanted nothing more than to at _least_ have closure, if that would allow him to no longer ache.

Little did they all know, was that while Talcott was making his usual check on Galdin Quay’s area, he discovered something amazing.

 

X*X(Talcott)X*X

The first thing he spotted was the black dog that stood on the edge of the road, turning to the truck as it came up, barking loudly as it went. As Talcott nearly drove by entirely, though, he spotted a single man walking after the dog, watching the truck go by.

“Hm?” Talcott hummed, frowning, before he gasped as he realized who it just might be. Immediately, he slowed to a stop, before backing up his truck to the man and dog. And sure enough… “Prince Noctis?” he said tentatively.

As the man stepped up to the truck as he asked that, the dog following close behind, he frowned. “…yeah?” he asked, cautiously.

“It’s me, Talcott,” the teen said with a familiar smile to the raven.

“…! Talcott?!” the man choked out. “No way…!”

“It’s…it’s been 10 years, Prince Noctis…” Talcott told him hesitantly, before opening the passenger door for him. “I’ve been checking here for you for the past few years, since I learned to drive, every time on the day you vanished.”

That news clearly hit him hard, as the raven flinched sharply. “Ten years…?” he asked slowly, as he and Umbra climbed aboard. “…Is… Do you know if…if Prompto…?”

“…He’s well physically…” Talcott told him quietly, but there was clearly more, as he put the truck in drive and began the drive to Hammerhead.

“…right…” Noctis murmured softly.

“I’d tell you more, but he made me promise not to if I found you,” Talcott told Noctis apologetically. “He said he’d rather talk to you himself, if the day came.” Noctis didn’t say anything else, he merely nodded his head softly. “I’d best call and let the others know…”

He then dialed a familiar number to Noctis, before holding the phone to his ear while focusing on the road. “Hello, Mr. Amicitia? …Is he around right now? …Yes, I found him. We’re on our way now. …Yes sir, we’re hurrying. We’ll see you soon.” After hanging up, he gave Noctis a sympathetic smile. “You have no idea how happy he’ll be…”

“…heh… I can hazard a guess…”

“…I’m sorry to have to be the one to tell you how long it’s been, Prince Noctis,” Talcott said suddenly, looking guilty. “I’d have rather had Prompto here with me when you came back…but he needed to stay in Hammerhead… You’ll soon see why.” Noctis frowned briefly, but that didn’t last long as some form of realization came to him, and he merely nodded his head softly. The pair rode on in silence, until they rounded the corner where Hammerhead lay. And for Noctis, his gaze was immediately seeking out the familiar form of his omega. Once Talcott parked the truck and turned off the ignition, the raven spotted him, sitting on a crate near the garage…with two raven-haired children sitting at his feet, looking up at him worriedly as the blonde kept his face hidden in his arms.

Noctis’s eyes went wide as his brain caught up to exactly what he was seeing and, for a few long moments, he couldn’t actually bring himself to move. But, finally, he opened the door and climbed out, slowly beginning to walk toward the blonde and the two kids.

One of the kids had short hair, and looked almost like he did when he was that age, while the other looked like a black-haired version of Prompto, really. Taking that into account, there was no denying just who they were.

The short-haired kid noticed him first and snapped their head up toward him, a frown on their face as if they were about to snap at him for something—but that expression soon disappeared as their eyes widened almost comically.

“Regina, what—?” the other kid started to ask, before looking where his sibling was looking, and his jaw dropped in complete shock. He quickly snapped out of his stupor, though, grabbing Prompto’s pant leg and jerking it a little. “Mom…!”

“I’m sorry, Zack… Not now…” Prompto mumbled, sounding completely miserable. Noctis’s expression fell as he heard his mate’s quiet mumbling, but he didn’t say anything, letting the kids take it for now.

“M-Ma…” the first kid—Regina, was it?—called softly, blindly reaching for the blonde’s hand and tugging sharply. “Ma, look…!”

“Princess, I’m really not feeling great… I’m so sorry…” Prompto apologized, his voice thick with unseen tears.

“But Mom…!” Zack insisted. Noctis bit his lip briefly, before he sighed softly, unheard by Prompto. That is, until…

“…Prom…look up.”

 _Immediately_ , the omega froze, going statue-still. He wasn’t even breathing for a good 30 seconds…until he did as he’d been told. That familiar nickname from that matured, yet familiar voice…it couldn’t be, could it?!

“…Noct…?” he breathed, unshed tears shimmering in his eyes as he looked at his alpha.

The raven allowed a small, mirthless chuckle, before he said, “Hey you…”

Shakily, Prompto stood, his bright blue eyes wide yet nervous, as he slowly approached Noctis, as though he was afraid the taller male would vanish again if he moved too quickly. Once he was close enough, he hesitantly took his alpha’s hand in his, before collapsing in a sobbing heap against Noctis, clutching his jacket tightly and clinging to the raven desperately.

And the raven shushed him tenderly, rubbing his back and running a hand through his hair, gently rocking him as he did. After a moment, though, he looked over to the two kids, who had by now also stumbled to their feet. He needed only a few seconds to consider what to do, as he held out one hand to them both.

Regina was the first to respond to that, as she immediately ran up to hug both him and Prompto, too. Zack wasn’t far behind, running over and hugging his parents firmly, even as Prompto cried harder. His family was _finally_ together, after all this time, and he was so relieved, but at the same time, he wanted to talk to his mate and tell him what he’d gone through, what he’d had to endure all these years.

“You’re back…! You’re really back…!” he managed to choke out as he tightened his grip on Noctis.

“Sssh… It’s okay… It’s okay, Prom… It’s alright…” Noctis whispered, pressing a kiss to the blonde’s temple, as he wrapped his arms around their children and his mate. “I’m sorry I’ve been gone so long… I’m so sorry…” Unfortunately, Prompto wasn’t able to reply verbally, instead whimpering loudly, over and over. Eventually, the blonde cried himself out, and once he had, he went slack against Noctis, still clinging to him in his unconscious state.

“He’s really been keeping all that in since you disappeared,” Gladio’s voice said from behind them, gaining Noctis’s attention immediately.

Noctis looked back briefly at Gladio, nodding briefly, before he did his best to carry Prompto with him. “Yeah… Somehow I’m not surprised,” Noctis murmured softly as he moved with the blonde in his arms.

“Here, I’ll help ya,” the larger alpha said quietly, taking the omega from Noctis and leading them to the nearby caravan. “Iggy already knows, so we’ll give you guys some time to catch up and rest.”

“Right… Thanks, Gladio…” Noctis said with a small nod.

“Yeah… Thanks, Uncle Gladio…”

“Thank you, Uncle Gladio…”

“Anytime. Take all the time you guys need, kay?” the brunette assured them once he’d laid Prompto on the bed in the caravan.

“Kay…” Zack nodded as the larger alpha left. He then looked at Regina, before looking to their father, who had sat with Prompto, running a soothing hand through his hair. The twins sat on the opposite bed, watching for a few minutes before Zack finally blurted out, “Mom really missed you…”

“Zack!! Sssh!!” Regina hissed out sharply, much to Noctis’s amusement.

“But Regina, you and I _both_ heard him cry himself to sleep almost every night!” Zack huffed, folding his arms over his chest.

“Still…!”

“It’s okay…Regina, was it?” Noctis said, tilting his head inquisitively at the girl.

She looked over for a moment, hesitating for a moment, before she nodded her head. “Yeah…”

Smiling, Noctis then turned to the boy. “And your name is Zack, right?”

“Yeah…” the boy nodded, biting his lip before mumbling, “Mom didn’t think we could hear him crying… He would act like nothing was wrong most of the time…even though we knew…”

Noctis sighed softly. “Yeah… He’s always been like that…so I’m really not surprised he did,” he said, as he ran a hand through Prompto’s hair while he slept. Regina bit her lip just then, taking slightly longer breaths of air as she sat there, wringing her hand in the edge of her shirt.

“Regi…?” Zack said to his twin in question, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“…Will…will you be staying…?” Regina asked slowly.

Noctis stared for a moment, before he said, “Yes, of course I am… I’m not about to leave you again…”

“Did you really think he’d leave again?” Zack frowned at his twin.

“No…! Just…”

“It’s okay, Zack,” Noctis said. “It’s natural for her to worry…besides, I’m pretty sure you were just as worried, right?”

“Well, yeah, but…after seeing how much you love Mom…I knew you wouldn’t consider it…” Zack admitted.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean you don't worry, hm?" Noctis said softly, before he gestured for them to come over. Regina shifted briefly, before she glanced at her brother.

“Come on, Regi,” Zack smiled, taking her hand and tugging her over so they could sit with their parents.

As they sat by Noctis and Prompto, Regina on his right and Zack on his left, the alpha smiled as he gently placed his arms around their shoulders. “I’m sorry I’ve missed so much…” he said softly. “So I’m afraid you’re going to have to fill me in on that…”

Regina blinked curiously, before she smiled and pressed a little closer. “Sure.”

“What do you want to know?” Zack asked, tilting his head in a puppy-like fashion.

Noctis hummed thoughtfully for a moment, before he smiled. “Well…for starters, how ‘bout you two tell me a few things about yourself?”

“Well, Mom says we take a lot after you…” Zack admitted. “Especially Regina.”

“Yeah…cuz he says you don’t like veggies either…” Regina added making Noctis snort in bemusement.

“Hahah… yeah, he’s right there. I don’t. Does he make you eat them, still?”

“Uncle Ignis does a lot,” Regina grumbled.

“Whenever he can get them, anyway. Kinda hard to without sunlight and with the daemons everywhere,” Zack pointed out.

That made Noctis frown. “…It must’ve been so hard for you…”

“It’s okay,” Regina assured. “We managed…and now that you’re back, we’ll be fine…right?”

“Come on, Mom said so himself, so you _know_ everything will be fine,” Zack smirked. “‘Sides, this might mean Mom won’t have to stay on his suppressants anymore. He said he hates being on them.”

Noctis honestly tried to hold back, but he couldn’t; he laughed. “Hahah. Yeah, I’m sure he does… And yeah, we’ll finish this soon, I promise.”

“Mom never did tell us what it means for him to be off of them, though…” Zack murmured. Looking up at his father, he asked, “Do you know what that would mean, Dad?”

“Yes, I do… But I think you’re still a little young to learn about that…”

“Awww…”

“Maaaan…” Zack groaned. “But we’re alphas, too!”

“Oh, I know. But this is something you’ll have to be a little older for.”

Zack pouted, but gave up trying to find out. Suddenly, there was a quiet whine from Prompto, before he groaned as he started to wake up. “Mom!”

Regina moved away a bit so that Noctis could turn around to face Prompto as the blonde blinked his eyes open. The older alpha chuckled softly as Prompto focused on him. “Morning, sleepyhead,” he said teasingly. However, the blonde didn’t really react, and Zack could tell that his parents needed some alone time.

“Regina, let’s go see if we can help Uncle Ignis fix some food for Mom and Dad,” he suggested, looking at her pointedly.

Regina regarded her brother for a moment, before she caught on and nodded. “Right,” she said, before she and Zack got up and headed out of the caravan. Once they were gone, Prompto slowly sat up, biting his lip as he looked at Noctis with fear in his bright blue gaze, as though he was still afraid the raven would somehow disappear again.

“Prom…” Noctis called out softly as he scooted closer, placing a hand on the blonde’s shoulder. At the gentle touch, Prompto whimpered as he trembled subtly.

“…You have… _no idea_ …how badly I needed you all this time…” he whispered.

“Prom, it’s okay…” Noctis murmured, reaching out and pulling his mate into a hug. “It’s okay… Everything’s going to be okay now…”

Prompto whined as he was hugged, before clutching at Noctis’s jacket again, mumbling out, “I almost thought you were _dead_ …when I started to always feel cold after the five-year mark… I didn’t think it was possible, so I pushed the thought away… Nothing helped, not even bundling up…”

“Sssh… Prom, it’s okay… I’m here now…” Noctis assured him, rubbing his back gently but firmly. “I’m not going anywhere… I promise.”

“…You’re going to have to leave to fight Ardyn, though…” the omega pointed out quietly. “I can’t lose you, Noct… Not after I just got you back…”

“You won’t, I swear…” he promised, kissing him to his temple again. “You won’t…”

Prompto pressed closer, a miserable sound of some sort escaping him, burying his face into the crook of his alpha’s neck and inhaling deeply. “…When you go, I’m not waiting around this time…” he murmured firmly as he pulled back to look into the raven’s steely blue eyes after a minute. “I refuse to.”

“…” Noctis stared back for a moment, before he smiled. “I know…” he murmured, before pressing a kiss to his mouth. Prompto kissed back immediately, melting against his lover as he felt much-needed warmth flow through him at the contact. When they parted, the smaller male stared at him, surprised.

“You’re not going to insist that I stay here?” he frowned, confused.

“Would I be able to stop you?”

“No…”

“So why bother trying to do so, hm?”

“Fair point,” the blonde conceded, curling into his alpha’s warmth, a faint smile curving his lips finally. “I love you so much, Noct…”

“Mmm… I love you, too, Prom…” Noctis murmured softly, running his hand through the blonde’s hair.

“You still have a thing for my hair, even after all this time… Not that I mind,” Prompto chuckled quietly.

“So quit mentioning it,” the prince chuckled with a smile. As they sat there, Prompto soon nuzzled Noctis’s chest, before piping up again.

“You look hot with the facial hair, you know that?” he smirked.

“Heh, do I?” Noctis mumbled, reaching up for his chin. “Kinda feel like my dad like this…”

“Don’t say that, because your dad isn’t my alpha. You are,” the omega snorted.

This made the alpha laugh. “Oh is that it, huh?”

“Hush. You’re you. No one else,” Prompto huffed, snuggling closer. Noctis merely smiled as he rested his head on Prompto’s, still running a hand through his hair. They remained like that, simply loving the other’s presence so close for what seemed like hours, until Prompto sighed softly. “We…should probably just get this shit-storm over with…”

“…Probably, yeah…”

“I’m with you. Always…” Prompto whispered, leaning up and kissing Noctis softly.

Once they pulled away again, Noctis said, “We should probably tell the kids, too…”

“Yeah, that their parents are about to go kick some daemon ass and bring back the light,” the omega chuckled.

“Yep. Bet they’re gonna be thrilled…”

“Well, all things considered, I think they’ll just want us to be careful.”

“Hmhmm…shall we then?”

“Let’s.”

And with that said, the newly reunited couple went outside to get ready and tell their children of what they were about to do.


	4. Chapter 10

When Prompto and Noctis emerged from the caravan, Zack and Regina were just starting to walk over with some food for their parents, Ignis not far behind.

“Mom!” the twins exclaimed when they saw Prompto, the blonde smiling calmly as he remained tucked into his alpha’s side.

“Hey, you two,” he smiled, hugging them close. “I’m so sorry I worried you all this time… It wasn’t fair to either of you…”

“We know you were trying to be strong for us, Mom…” Zack said quietly as he hugged the omega back tightly. “Even when you tried to hide your crying from us…” The last comment made Prompto flinch sharply, and he gained an ashamed look on his face.

“…You guys heard me…?” he whispered.

“You weren’t exactly ‘quiet’,” Regina said with a brief shrug of her shoulder.

“Still…” the blonde mumbled. “I’m sorry…”

Regina merely shook her head, saying nothing else. Noctis smiled warmly as the twins proceeded to hug their mother, before he turned to look at Ignis. “Ignis,” he said by way of greeting.

“Noct,” Ignis said, with a small smile of his own. “I would say good to see you, but…”

Noctis snorted a bit, smiling. “Yeah, I get it…”

“So, we heading out soon?” Gladio asked with a smirk as he walked over upon noticing them. “After all, the light needs to be brought back somehow.”

“Heading out…?” Regina asked, frowning in worry as she stepped back. “Head out where?”

“We need to go take down Ardyn, the one who caused this whole mess,” Prompto told them seriously.

“But…what about you and Dad? Are you going, too?” Zack frowned.

Noctis placed a hand on Zack’s shoulder, making the boy and his sister look over to him. “Yes…but we won’t be gone long. We’ll finish this and be back before you can miss us… I promise.”

The boy’s gaze lowered, before he hugged both his parents firmly. “Please be careful and come back… I don’t wanna lose either of you…” he whimpered.

Prompto blinked back tears as he held his son close. “We will, and you won’t lose us. Not now, not ever,” he promised.

Regina bit her lip again, before she quickly hugged their father, who smiled sadly as he returned it. “It’s okay… We’re not leaving you alone again. We just need to finish this once and for all.”

“…kay…” the girl murmured. Once Zack had let go, Prompto straightened up, kissing the twins on their foreheads before taking Noctis’s hand so they could get changed. Regina moved over to sit on the rickety chairs, waiting for their parents to finish changing.

Once Prompto was done, he came out shortly before his alpha, walking over to the twins. “Behave for Cindy while we’re away, kay?” he told them, smiling at them lovingly.

“We will, Mom, promise,” Zack nodded with a brave expression on his face. Regina nodded her head, just as Noctis walked out, wearing the Kingly Raiment’s, adjusting the cuffs as he walked down the last steps. Once he had them fixed properly, he turned to the twins. Rather than say anything, though, he crouched down to one knee.

Almost instantly, Regina got up and ran over into the alpha’s arms for a hug. Zack wasn’t far behind her, hugging his father tightly. “…Take care of Mom, please…” he whispered, not letting Prompto hear him. He was honestly scared the blonde would be a bit reckless now that he was with Noctis again.

“I will, don’t worry,” Noctis murmured, kissing them both to their forehead. “You two look out for each other, too…”

“We will, Dad,” Regina assured. “Uncle Gladio’s been training us!”

“Haha… Has he now?” Noctis laughed softly, ruffling their hair. “That’s a relief. Just be careful and don’t do anything stupid, alright?”

“We won’t!” Zack promised, even as he and Regina stepped back. “Go kick some butt!”

Noctis smiled as he nodded, before he turned to the others. “Let’s go,” he said firmly. Prompto nodded, heading out after Noctis as Gladio and Ignis followed after, the group of four heading to Insomnia.

As they went, Regina put her hands in her pockets. The older twin said nothing for a long moment, before she asked, “You think they’ll be okay…?”

“We have to believe they will. Otherwise we’ll never get to see the sun,” Zack pointed out. “‘Sides, Dad’s not the King for no reason.”

“…Yeah, guess you’re right…” his sister murmured. After a moment, though… “…You wanna get some practice in while we wait for this… ‘sunrise’ to happen?”

“Sure.”

 

X*X(Meanwhile…)X*X

When the group of four friends arrived in Insomnia, Prompto followed after Noctis closely, sticking by his side even in the fights against the daemons they came across. After encountering Cor and meeting some of the Kingsglaive in a safe area nearby in the underground passages, the raven led them out to the surface, only to find Ardyn waiting for them on a lamp post.

“Fashionably late, I see,” he smirked.

“Ardyn!” the King snarled angrily, curling his hands into fists, despite Prompto placing his hand on his alpha’s shoulder to try and calm him.

“Insomnia, the Crown City of _my_ kingdom,” the maroon-haired alpha said as though Noctis hadn’t spoken. “I bid you a warm welcome.” When he finished speaking, he snapped his fingers, and then several huge fireballs shot down from the sky.

“What the hell’s he doing?” Gladio growled, before the four watched in horror as the fireballs struck several of the buildings (already damaged), and even tearing some of them down.

“I’ve prepared something special for you, Noctis,” Ardyn said, a wicked note to his voice, and the group watched in complete shock as the Wall built itself around the Citadel, and hence keeping out the four friends.

“What?!” Noctis gasped.

“Yes, it’s the same Wall your father gave his life to sustain,” the immortal bastard taunted. “I thought it might serve as a lovely little reminder of your Daddy Dearest. Do you like it?” He laughed lowly as he finished his sentence.

“You’re sick,” the King spat, starting forward, but stopping when Gladio held his hand out to keep the raven from doing anything foolish.

“How could you say that to your own flesh and blood?!” Ardyn gasped, feigning hurt as he pointed at Noctis. “I’ll try to find it in my heart to forgive you by the time you reach the Citadel. My little pet will greet you at the gates.” He then vanished once done speaking.

“Looks like it’s only just beginning,” Prompto mumbled, looking to his mate. “Let’s get this going.”

Noctis took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. “Right… Let’s do this.”

When they got closer to the Citadel’s Wall, Gladio snorted upon seeing the giant, three-headed dog waiting for them.

“That must be his ‘little pet’,” the Shield muttered.

“We can only hope its bark is worse than its bite,” Ignis said as the hound got up to its paws, growling with fire brimming along its three maws.

Noctis snorted a bit. “Hope it’s ready—we bite back.” Prompto nodded firmly, wordlessly agreeing with his alpha, before they pulled out their weapons and lunged for the Cerberus.

It was far from an easy fight, and needed more than a few flasks of Blizzara to even get the fire toned down even the slightest. And even then, it only helped so much as they still had to contend with the hound’s dripping jaws and claws. In fact, it wasn't until Noctis called upon the might of Leviathan that they were finally able to end the fight and could finally move on toward the Citadel.

“Gah… Looks like there’s no way past the Wall…” Prompto growled as they gazed at the Wall Ardyn had created around the Citadel. That’s when a commotion behind the group gained their attention, and they looked in horror to see hundreds of daemons approaching, heading straight for them. “There’s way too many of them!”

“And no way outta this, either,” Gladio muttered.

“Still… We can’t just give up now!” Noctis snarled furiously. Suddenly, the alpha gasped as he realized a presence was behind him, and he whirled around to see Luna hovering behind him. “Luna?!” he choked out, shocked.

“Gods above, hear my plea: lend the Chosen King your strength that he may save our Star from darkness’ blight!” she called out, holding the same trident she had at Leviathan’s summoning.

“The lady’s words have reached the heavens,” Gentiana said calmly as she appeared beside Luna. “By the will of the Oracle and the grace of the gods, a path for the King is made.” When she finished speaking, a bright, almost blinding light burst forth from her.

And mere moments after that, the sky erupted as lightning danced across the heavens and thunder rocked the air itself with the appearance of Ramuh high above them. The Fulgurian almost seemed to scoff as he raised a hand, staff materializing in his hand with a burst of lightning and thunder. With one simple flick of the staff, lightning danced down from its end and striking most of the approaching daemons with perfect accuracy, toppling them with each strike. And the few that managed to escape the God’s wrath didn’t last long as the temperature dipped lower and lower as the seven Shiva Sisters approached the Wall.

The ensuing Diamond Dust they unleashed upon it froze it solid within seconds, as Leviathan emerged and with a loud roar coiled herself around the frozen barrier that was withholding the Chosen King from entering, the force of which caused it crack loudly. Which was not as loud as the crash of Titan landing on the streets of Insomnia not even that far away. The Archaean snarled angrily as he reared back his fist and then threw a punch that caused large sections of the Wall to shatter, though enough of it stood firm to bar entry.

Not that that mattered much as the Draconian appeared in the sky above, its swords brandished and spinning about, before the Giga Flare pierced through the barrier in its entirety, making it shatter from top to bottom like glass.

When it was over, Prompto stood close to Noctis, as the raven said softly, “Luna… Thank you.”

The Oracle merely bowed quietly, before straightening and saying, “The fate of our Star rests with you now, my King.” She then started forward, but before she and Noctis could reach each other, she vanished.

“…Talk about divine intervention,” Gladio commented after a few moments.

“Feels good to know the Gods are fighting on our side,” Prompto smiled, going over to Noctis and placing a calming hand on his alpha’s shoulder.

“And they’ve entrusted the future to you, Noct,” Ignis added calmly but firmly.

“Yeah…” Noctis murmured. “Wouldn’t want to let ‘em down now.”

The four friends moved onward, and once they entered the gates of the Citadel, they soon encountered Ardyn again.

“Ifrit, the Infernian. He doesn’t share the Glacian’s fondness for mankind,” Ardyn declared. “But you can expect a…warm welcome. I shall await you…above.” As he finished speaking, he waved casually, before flames blocked the friends’ view of him as Ifrit appeared from within them.

“More fire. Great…” Prompto groaned.

“Stay cool—he’s gonna bring the heat,” Noctis growled as they rushed forward.

 

X*X(Meanwhile…)X*X

Regina jumped back from her brother, breathing heavily from exertion, though her mouth was quirked into a cheeky grin as she held her training sword up. “Had enough yet?”

“Look who’s talking,” Zack snorted, despite panting a bit as well. The older twin chuckled breathlessly, before she lowered her sword with a sharp exhale.

“Actually… I’m getting thirsty. I’m gonna get a drink from Takka,” she said abruptly and turned on her heel. Shrugging at the abrupt change, Zack trailed after, albeit at a slightly slower pace.

His sister stretched her arms above her head with a barely suppressed yawn, as her joints popped while she walked. “Man… why’s it taking so long anyway?” she mumbled softly—right before she stopped dead in her tracks.

“Regina?” Zack said as he nearly bumped into her.

“…” His sister didn’t respond immediately, frowning as she looked around slowly. “…get ready to run…” she warned.

“O…okay…” her brother nodded minutely, his body tensing up from her warning. Slowly, Regina stepped away from her brother, toward one of the darker corners of Hammerhead. Even then, though, her body was ready to bolt at a moment’s notice, just in case.

“What are you doing?” Zack hissed.

“Sssh!”

Frowning deeply, the younger twin watched his sister’s actions warily. Frowning darkly, Regina squinted into the darkness…which was when she spotted a dark figure walking toward them. Immediately on edge, Regina stepped back two paces, face contorting into a glare.

“Well now, good evening, young lady,” the figure said, and it immediately put her on edge. She knew immediately that this wasn’t right… “Out for a late night stroll, hm?”

“…Zack…” she called back firmly.

“Y-yeah…?”

“Run… _NOW!_ ” Regina screamed, turning and running as well.

Zack immediately turned and started to dart off towards the cafeteria. However, before Regina could dart around the corner, something grabbed her by the back of her shirt and yanked, _hard_. And, unbidden, she screamed in fright.

“REGINA!!” Zack shouted, running back to help his twin. “Let her go!!” he snarled at the figure holding her.

The man holding his sister up from the ground as she thrashed about, though, merely smiled a cold, heartless smile. “Why don’t you make me, boy?”

Shaking slightly out of fear, Zack ran, knowing Regina had told him to before, and not wanting to let her down.

 

X*X(At The Citadel)X*X

When the fight with Ifrit was over, Prompto followed Noctis closely with Gladio and Ignis not far behind as the friends entered the Citadel at last. They had barely stepped through the doors when Ardyn’s voice greeted them again.

“That was a most impressive performance,” he smirked.

Noctis snorted softly before he said, “You thought that was good? Wait til you see what we’ve got in store for you.”

“I’m giddy with anticipation! But I’m afraid you’ve one more Wall to break through first,” the maroon-haired alpha taunted. “The Old Wall—the Kings of Yore. Oh, what fun it will be to watch those I revile most tear each other apart.”

“Come forth, O Chosen…” the Fierce growled out as he appeared before them.

“I thought the kings of old were on _our_ side!” Noctis choked out, right before he rolled out of the way of the first mace throw.

“Look out!” Ignis shouted in warning, and then the fight began. As it continued on, the Fierce summoned a shield of energy, and Gladio was swift to block and parry when the Fierce rushed him, destroying the barrier. Once it was gone, and the Fierce was almost defeated, he slammed his mace down on Gladio, who blocked it with his shield.

“I’ve served as your Shield through thick and thin,” he snarled out, throwing the Fierce’s mace off of him. “No matter what, I’ve got your back—now and always!” He then shot towards the Fierce, slashing through him with his shield and greatsword.

“Forgive me… My mind was not my own…” the Fierce gasped out as he fell to his knees, defeated, before fading into darkness.

Noctis sighed as he reached up and wiped some sweat from his brow. “Shit… This is taking _way_ too long…” he murmured. “Let’s hurry… The twins are waiting…”

“Definitely…” Prompto nodded, biting back the worried whine that wanted to escape him as they continued onward. After a quick elevator ride up toward the throne room, the first thing they noticed upon stepping out was the pale blue light engulfing them. Which only lasted a moment before they found themselves in an unknown room. They didn’t have time to question it as they turned around and spotted another one of the Kings of Yore almost staggering along the edge of the room.

“Welcome…O Chosen…” she murmured. Cloaked in darkness, she cried out before attacking them.

“Here we go again!” Prompto yelled, before they began to fight. As the fight dragged on, coming near the end, the blonde snarled determinedly.

“I owe Noct everything, for standing by me always,” he growled out, attacking the Rogue on his own with her own weapon. “And now…it’s my turn to stand by him!” And with that, he summoned his gun, performing his crackshot technique, and shooting the Rogue powerfully three times, defeating her as she collapsed.

“Go forth, Chosen King… Restore the Light…” she breathed out, before disappearing like the Fierce had. Once she was gone, Prompto braced himself on his knees, breathing heavily.

“Prompto!” Noctis called out, hurrying to his mate’s side and placing a hand on his back.

“I’m okay…” the omega breathed out, straightening up and smiling softly at his alpha. “But I’ll be better once this is over.”

Noctis breathed in relief, rubbing his back a bit, smiling at him. “Good… C’mon…we’re almost done…”

“Right,” the blonde nodded softly, before they moved onward, making their way through the hallway into the next room…where a large sword pierced into the ground before them, revealing the Mystic.

As the fight began, Ignis grit out, “This one’s more powerful than the last!”

“Then I guess we’re in for one hell of a fight!” Noctis snarled. Once they were halfway through, though, Ignis looked at Noctis with his sightless gaze.

“Leave this to me!” he said firmly. He then attacked the Mystic fiercely with his daggers, before snapping, “I will see to it that nothing stands in Noct’s way!” He successfully avoided the Mystic’s strikes, before using his elemancy technique to strike back in a burst of flames. “And I will do whatever it takes—no matter the cost!” As he shouted the words, he stabbed the Mystic with his lance powerfully.

However, the Mystic wasn’t finished yet, as he staggered back, before standing once again and slashing his sword, changing their surroundings to a different area.

“I get the feeling he’s not happy,” Noctis snorted as the fight started anew.

“Or right in the head. He’s gone berserk!” Gladio warned.

“Brace yourselves!” Ignis shouted.

“Time to say goodnight,” Gladio spat.

“Okay!” Prompto nodded determinedly, firing shot after shot.

As the fight finally began to near its end, Prompto, Ignis, and Gladio stood before the Mystic, and Gladio blocked his attack with his shield, snarling, “Not on my watch!” After throwing back the Mystic’s blade, he yelled, “You’re up, Prompto!”

“My turn!” the blonde shouted, firing a multitude of shots at the Mystic. “Come on, Iggy!”

“No mercy!” the Advisor declared, as the three then overwhelmed their opponent, with Ignis yelling, “Go, Noct!” after piercing him with his lance again.

“It’s over,” the King growled, summoning his blade, before warp-striking the Mystic, and then delivering another, even more powerful warp-strike blow from above. He then warped away as the Mystic stumbled, defeated. “Hate to break it to you, but you’re outnumbered.”

As everything went bright, the Mystic said, “You have done well…” Once everything returned to what it was before the fight with him, the Mystic kneeled before the group of friends, beginning to speak again. “Hear me, Chosen King—the time has come to fulfill your calling and dispel the darkness from our world.” He then stood up straight again. “Go forth. Restore the Light…and free my brother from his curse.” With that said, the Mystic faded into darkness.

“Thanks…” Noctis murmured, beginning to turn to the others. “With you guys at my side…I know I will be ready for anything.” Prompto nodded, a small smile curving his lips as he stepped closer to his mate. The alpha sighed heavily in slight relief, nodding his head. “Alright… Let’s go.”

“Lead the way,” Prompto smiled.

With one solid heave, Noctis pushed forward, the heavy doors to the throne room groaning their protest before permitting them entry. However, barely five steps in, Noctis stopped and growled in barely suppressed rage as he witnessed the scene before him. Prompto caught up with him first and as he looked up, he gasped.

“What is that?” he asked slowly, as they witnessed the figures that appeared to have been strung up in chains from the ceiling.

At first it wasn’t really clear who they represented, but after a moment of careful looking they realized they were puppets of King Regis, Luna, Aldercapt, and Nyx Ulric from the King’s Glaive. But those were hardly as shocking as the only two figures that were clearly NOT puppets…

Prompto _immediately_ froze, before screaming, “REGINA!!! ZACK!!!”

The twins were strung up along the chains in the same fashion as the puppets, seeming to be unconscious, though it was clear that the chains were biting into their bared skin. Aside from that, though, they seemed to be unharmed, which was the only solace in this situation.

Which in turn made them turn their attention to the throne itself, above which now sat the dulled, light-less Crystal, with Ardyn lazing in the throne, casting them a lazy, cold smirk as they continued their approach.

“Leave them out of this!!” Prompto hissed dangerously, venom heavy in his voice, despite the fear he felt for the twins.

“Oh?” the maroon-haired man drawled with a small chuckle. “How cruel of you… I would have thought you'd be _happy_ to have your dear children see their parents’ home. After all… this may just be their only chance, hm?”

Noctis quickly held out his arm to stop Prompto from blindly rushing for Ardyn, looking at him firmly and shaking his head ‘no’. Prompto looked at his alpha in despair, wordlessly pleading with him to do something, _anything_ , to save their children. Silently in response, the alpha adjusted his hand without moving his arm, lightly squeezing the blonde’s shoulder in reassurance. Despite that, the omega bit his lip harshly to keep himself from whimpering as Gladio and Ignis kept their guard up, glaring at Ardyn.

When he was sure that Prompto wouldn’t do anything else, Noctis turned back to Ardyn. “They have nothing to do with your petty ‘revenge’ plan, jester,” he snarled out. “Let them be and face us properly!”

The thud of the other man’s boot hitting the seat of the throne rang out through the room within seconds of Noctis finishing that sentence. But even then, Ardyn didn’t say anything for almost a minute, before he chuckled coldly and said, “Oh, Noct… How I have waited for this.” As he straightened up, he continued, “Longer than you could ever know.”

“Spite’s all that’s kept him going,” Gladio growled. Prompto remained quiet, not trusting himself to not scream at the bastard for even touching his children.

“…Ardyn sits the throne?” Ignis asked softly, since he was not able to see it happen.

“Not for long,” Noctis assured. “This is my ascension.”

Suddenly, Ardyn sent out three shots of dark energy, rendering Prompto, Ignis, and Gladio unconscious.

“Prom!” Noctis choked out almost immediately, before he glared at Ardyn.

“They have no place in this, the battle of kings!” the twisted bastard grinned wickedly from where he now stood on the rubble leading outside. “Come, Noctis!” And with that said, he went through the opening, heading outside.

Noctis snarled as he ran after, up the steps and almost jumped out of the broken wall after Ardyn without a second thought…

“…Dad…?” The King froze and whirled around, looking toward where Regina was now looking at him, her eyes clouded and weary. “…wh…where…?”

Cursing softly, Noctis stepped back a bit. “Hold on, princess… I’ll get you both down,” he said firmly, warp-striking up and, carefully, taking first Regina, and then Zack down to the ground. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“N-no…” the older twin said, slowly shaking her head, still a bit disoriented as her brother blinked his eyes open, too.

“Dad…? Where are we?” Zack asked nervously.

Noctis shushed the two of them softly, running his hands through their hair. “I’ll explain later, Zack… I have something very important to do first. I want you both to stay right here and wait for me to come pick you up. Understand?”

“…Y-yeah… Kay…”

“Okay…” the younger twin nodded, trying to remain brave.

After kissing them both on their forehead, whispering a quiet, “I’ll be right back, promise… I love you, both…” Noctis finally stood and silently but furiously stalked toward the hole in the wall to face Ardyn, finally. Once he point-warped to where Ardyn was waiting, the two began their fight, Ardyn’s own warp-striking and point-warping making it a difficult challenge, but one that Noctis wouldn’t and couldn’t let go by. He never noticed that Regina and Zack had cautiously scooted over to watch the battle as it raged on, staring with wide eyes at all blows exchanged, gasping and/or whimpering when Noctis took any hits from Ardyn.

Finally, Noctis managed to use all of the thirteen royal arms he had managed to obtain during their travels on Ardyn, striking him with each one, and finishing him with his father’s glaive through his chest.

“Now it is over, Majesty,” Ardyn smirked weakly from where he lay, collapsed on the ground as the King got down on one knee near him. “What will you do? Banish the daemons and bring peace? Erase me from history once more?”

Noctis didn’t respond immediately as he crouched there. Then, finally, he spoke. “This time…you can rest in peace. Close your eyes…forevermore.”

“I will await you…in the beyond,” the older male replied, before his body began to fade, the pieces of him drifting like ash in the wind.

Once Noctis stood up, he looked up and immediately spotted his children watching in a combination of awe and worry. Smiling softly, Noctis turned and then point-warped up to the hole again, stepping in calmly.

“Dad!” Zack cried out, running to him. “Are you okay? Where’s Mom?”

“Easy, Zack,” Noctis said with a chuckle as Regina joined her brother, hugging them both gently. “Mom’s over there,” he said with a nod toward where the others were still lying, unconscious. “I’m going to need your help to get them up, though.”

“Yeah, kay!” Regina chirped, hurrying down the steps with Zack right behind to get to Prompto, Ignis, and Gladio. However, Prompto woke up shortly before the twins could reach them, groaning and holding his head from the pain he felt. That quickly left him, though, when he saw the twins running over.

“Regina! Zack!” he cried out, quickly getting to his knees and catching them both in a firm hug. “Are you okay?!”

“We’re okay, Ma,” Regina assured. “Are you?”

“I’ll be just fine, with a little rest,” the blonde promised, before spotting Noctis as the King approached. “Is it finally over?”

“It is,” Noctis assured, nodding his head as he crouched down. “It’s done…”

“Now all that’s left is to restore the Light, right?” Zack asked.

“That’s right,” the King said with a chuckle, ruffling his hair.

“Well, what are you waiting for, then?” Gladio’s voice asked in amusement as he sat up, already awake.

“Yeah, yeah,” Noctis chuckled—right before there was a crash from outside, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Wh-what was that…?” Regina asked slowly.

“Daemons…” Ignis said firmly.

“We need to get out of here, while Noct restores the Light,” Gladio ordered. “Once he does, the daemons will be done for.”

“But…!” Zack started to argue, until Prompto placed a hand on his son’s shoulder. “Mom!”

“Your father can do this. Don’t worry, okay? If we don’t get out now, everything we’ve done will have been for nothing,” he said.

Regina looked ready to complain, but Noctis placed his hands on their shoulders. “It’ll be okay…” he assured. “It’ll be fine…”

“…Okay…”

“We’d better get going now,” Gladio warned, and Prompto was quick to get up and start to lead the twins after the Shield.

“Come on, you two. We’ll be together again soon,” he soothed as he ushered them after Gladio.

Noctis smiled as the group headed off, with the kids watching him worriedly as Prompto ushered them out. Once they were gone, he turned to the throne and walked up to it silently. “Right, then… Let’s start this off, shall we?”

As the twins trailed slowly along with their mother, they looked at each other, communicating without words, it seemed. Regina was the first to nod her head, and as Prompto pulled out his gun when they were almost at the entrance, she and her brother slowed their walk. Then, Regina brought up her hand and ticked off three fingers slowly…right before they both whirled around and bolted right back the way they’d come as one.

“Regina!! Zack!!” Prompto shouted in alarm, before dashing after them, summoning a gun in each hand to stop any daemons that would dare attack _his_ children. The twins didn’t seem to notice that, though, as they quickly hurried for the stairs and began to scale them as fast as their legs could carry them. Growling under his breath, Prompto raced after the twins, before noticing a trio of large daemons approaching them.

“Regina, Zack!! GET DOWN, NOW!!” the omega yelled at them in a tone that left no room for argument. As soon as they had ducked down, he fired several shots at them, using his Trigger-Happy technique, eradicating them.

“W-whoa…!” Regina choked out.

“…!” Zack watched in awe, not realizing that their mother was so cool. Once the daemons were gone, Prompto frowned heavily as he returned to the twins.

“You guys can’t take off like that, please!” he chided, but it was clear he had been scared for them.

“But…we can’t just leave Dad behind!” Regina argued.

“We’re not leaving him behind, I promise,” the blonde sighed heavily. “He’ll be out of the Citadel as soon as he’s done. He’s trying to make sure we’ll be okay, too.”

“…You mean it?” Zack asked worriedly.

“Of course!”

Regina didn’t respond immediately, just as there was a flash of blue light that almost blinded them.

“That’s…!” Prompto gasped, his eyes wide with relief as he looked in Noctis’s direction. He hesitated briefly, before taking the twins’ hands and beginning to lead them off towards their father. “Stay with me.”

Regina nodded as she and her brother followed after him. Zack stuck close to Prompto, occasionally glancing to his twin, and then they all three felt a strange shift that they couldn’t quite explain.

“The Crystal’s bringing back the Light at last, thanks to your father,” the omega breathed out in a relieved sigh. “Let’s go see him, and we’ll try to see the sunrise together.”

“So…so the sun’s going to rise soon?” Regina asked with a smile.

“Sure is,” Prompto smiled back. “It’s been 10 years, but it’ll be back anytime now.”

“Then let’s hurry!” Zack grinned, picking up his pace a bit. The three of them hurried up the stairs, toward the throne room again. The moment they arrived, they spotted Noctis clinging to the armrest of the throne, gasping for breath as he looked about ready to pass out.

“Noct!” Prompto yelped, hurrying to his alpha’s side and helping him up. “Come on, Noct, you gotta stay awake for a bit longer, okay? We gotta see the sunrise together as a family…”

“Ugh… R-right…” Noctis groaned softly, still breathing heavily. As quickly and carefully as he could, Prompto helped Noctis outside, where the first faint rays of sunlight were starting to emerge on the horizon.

“W-wow…!” Zack breathed, awed by the beauty of the first sunrise of his life.

“It’s…so bright…” Regina whispered. “Brighter than any of the beacons…!”

“I tried to tell you before, but it’s hard to describe,” Prompto murmured, smiling softly at the excitement evident on their faces. He then kissed Noctis’s cheek (considering that was the only place he could reach while supporting him), whispering, “Thank you, Noct…”

The alpha only managed to get a small grunt out in response…right before his eyes drooped shut and he passed out.

“Dad got pretty tired out, huh?” Zack asked, finally able to look away from the sunrise and at his parents.

“Yeah, he’ll probably be sleeping for a good several hours…” Prompto sighed, yet his gaze was fond as he focused on his alpha, before raising his head when he heard Gladio and Ignis approaching.

“Out cold, huh?” Gladio guessed.

“Yeah, he wore himself out, but all things considered, I’m not surprised,” the blonde murmured. “Mind taking him over, Gladio? I can’t exactly carry him on my own…”

“Sure,” the larger alpha nodded, and once he had Noctis slung over his shoulder, the group headed back to Hammerhead in the early morning light.


	5. Chapter 11

Prompto was sitting in the caravan with the twins and Noctis, the latter of which was still sleeping on the bed, even after a day.

“Is he gonna sleep for 10 years again?” Zack pouted.

“Of course not. Not only was he drained in just about every way imaginable, but your father tends to be a sleeper in general,” Prompto chuckled.

“He does that a lot?” Regina asked with her head tilted.

“Yeah, and he can be a pain to wake up when he has to be up, too,” the omega laughed lightly, but he still watched his mate fondly as he started to run his fingers through the ebony locks.

“…Ngh…”

“About time you woke up, sleepyhead,” Prompto teased as he shifted slightly so he could face Noctis properly.

“Morning, Dad!” Zack chirped with a laugh.

“Morning!” Regina echoed with a smile.

“…mm… Morning,” Noctis mumbled softly.

“Sleep well?” the King’s omega asked.

“…Ugh… As good as…” the alpha mumbled as he slowly sat up.

“Geez, you were right, Mom! Dad _is_ a sleeper!” Zack commented, snickering. Regina giggled at her brother’s quip, while Noctis looked at the two of them dryly.

“You know it’s true, Noct,” Prompto chuckled softly, before kissing him briefly.

“…Very funny…”

“Considering it’s been a full day since you passed out…” the blonde sighed.

“…A day?”

“Yeah, we were all worried about you…” Zack nodded.

Noctis sighed heavily. “Sorry…” he said sincerely as he moved his legs off the bed, groaning. “Ugh… Dammit…”

“We’ll go let Iggy and Gladio know you’re awake!” Zack said, getting up. “Come on, Regina!”

“Coming!” Regina called as she followed. Once they were out, Prompto snuggled close to Noctis, giving a content sigh.

“I really missed this…” he admitted softly.

Noctis sighed a little as he reached out and hugged Prompto close. “…I’m so sorry…” he whispered softly.

“Stop apologizing, okay? Like you said before, it’s okay now. We’re together again,” the blonde soothed, nuzzling his alpha’s throat before kissing the underside of his jaw as he was held close.

“…but I wasn’t there when you needed me to be there…” Noctis protested softly. “That should’ve never happened at all…”

“I know, but there wasn’t anything we could have done to have changed that,” Prompto pointed out. “Besides, we have our whole future ahead of us, together.”

“…Yeah…” the King breathed softly.

“Don’t dwell on the past anymore, please?” the omega pleaded, softly kissing Noctis’s throat this time.

“No promises there…”

“At least try.”

“…Fine.”

“Thank you…” Prompto murmured gratefully, cuddling even closer. “…You know I want to have a heat with you again once things settle down somewhat, right?”

The King chuckled softly, rubbing Prompto’s back. “Not surprised…”

“We’ll talk to Regina and Zack about it when things start to calm down,” the blonde smiled, yawning quietly.

At that, Noctis resisted the urge to laugh. “And you call me lazy?”

“Considering I haven’t slept since before we left to Insomnia, I have every right to be tired,” Prompto pouted.

“Point taken,” Noctis said, placing a kiss to his forehead. “Get some rest, then.”

“Will do… Love you, Noct…” the omega whispered, his body starting to go completely lax against his alpha.

“Love you, too, Prom…” was the soft response as he let Prompto slide down to rest in his lap, where he proceeded to run his fingers through the blonde’s hair.

 

X*X(6 Months Later)X*X

Finally, things had started getting into a good routine, and had settled down from the chaos Ardyn had caused for over 10 years. Prompto and Noctis had taken up temporary residency in Lestallum like the blonde had with the twins before the King’s return, along with the twins, who had truly enjoyed every moment of spending time together with their parents. Even though they would move back to Insomnia once the city was restored, and the apartment they were living in had some tight quarters at times, the family still had fun.

There had been some initial fear from both Prompto and Noctis when the omega would start to panic if his alpha had to leave the bed during the night just to get some water or use the restroom, causing the guilt Noctis had felt to surface again. Same for when Prompto would have nightmares of Noctis when he disappeared into the Crystal, but Noctis would always comfort his omega, and the couple managed to work through it.

By now, though, Prompto was thinking it was about time to ask Regina and Zack about them getting another sibling, as he was tired of being on suppressants for two years by now. He just needed to ask Noctis first, though.

That morning, the blonde woke up first, as usual, and he found himself, once again, cuddled close into his alpha’s side, not that he minded. He’d been doing that ever since the King’s return, but they both enjoyed it. Deciding to wake the raven up so they could talk, Prompto nuzzled Noctis’s throat lovingly, kissing the pale skin at the edge of his facial hair.

“…mmm…?” Noctis groaned, blinking his eyes open slowly.

“Good morning, Noct,” the blonde purred, kissing his throat softly.

“Mm…morning…” the alpha murmured. “Sleep well?”

“You know when I wake up next to you, that’s a yes,” Prompto reminded him with a small smile.

Noctis hummed a bit. “…so? What’s on your mind?”

“What do you think about talking to the twins about a younger sibling?”

“…really, Prom?” Noctis asked with a small chuckle. “We’re in the middle of rebuilding the Crown City…”

“So? Doesn’t mean we can’t have another baby…” Prompto pouted. “Besides, I had the twins during the dark period… Now that the Light’s returned, nothing should be able to stop us…”

The King sighed softly, before he pressed his forehead to Prompto’s. “You’re impossible…”

“And yet you love me,” his omega pointed out with a fond smile.

“That I do…” was the casual response, before he pressed a kiss to Prompto’s lips. Prompto kissed back tenderly, before he pulled back.

“We’d best get going so we can talk to the twins,” he murmured, placing his hand on Noctis’s cheek and smoothing his thumb along the pale skin.

“Hmm… May as well…”

Prompto laughed lightly, briefly kissing his alpha again before sliding out of bed and starting to get dressed. Noctis followed closely after, grunting a bit as he stretched his limbs out. Once the couple was fully dressed, they headed out into the hall and to the twins’ bedroom, where Prompto knocked on the door.

“Regina, Zack… Good morning,” he called out. “Time to get up.”

Regina grumbled softly, but she didn’t say anything else. Zack, however, groaned before calling back, “Do we have to…?”

“If you want to eat breakfast, then yes,” their mother replied.

“Mmm… fiiiiine…” Regina whined in annoyance.

“Thank you,” the blonde smiled. “Expect pancakes when you two are up.”

“Really?!” Zack gasped, and the sound of him scrambling out of bed was quickly heard. “I’m going!”

“Gah! Watch it, Zack!”

“But pancakes, Regina!”

“Yeah, yeah, cool your jets…”

“Then hurry!”

Prompto laughed softly as he and Noctis headed to the kitchen. “Regina’s definitely your doppelganger,” he chuckled.

“That so?” Noctis asked with a chuckle.

“She takes after you in more ways than one,” the blonde smirked. The King merely quirked an eyebrow at the blonde at that, just before the twins walked into the room, with Regina stretching and yawning. Zack was already bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, literally bouncing in place as he looked around.

“Where’s the pancakes?” he asked eagerly.

“We still have to make them, Zack,” Prompto laughed, pulling out the makings. “I’ll have them made in jiffy.”

“Esh…chill out, Zack,” Regina mumbled, as she walked over and plopped down on her chair, dropping her head on her arms.

“Stick in the mud,” her bother pouted.

“Here, Zack. How about you help by getting out the butter and syrup? I’ll even teach you how to make homemade whipped cream if we have the whipping cream for it,” Prompto chuckled.

“Really?! Awesome!” the younger twin grinned brightly, going and getting out the syrup from the cabinet, and then the butter from the fridge, before spying the whipping cream and snagging it. “Here ya go, Mom!”

“Good. Now we need some powdered sugar for the whipped cream, or else it’ll be pretty bland,” Prompto instructed.

As Zack and Prompto continued with working on breakfast, Noctis smiled a bit as he walked over to the table, taking a seat next to Regina. “Tired, princess?”

Regina merely grumbled something under her breath into her arms. This, in turn, made Noctis chuckle, reminded of himself whenever Iggy would wake him up way too early.

“C’mon, at least try to sit up straight. It’s bad for your back,” he pointed out.

“Ugh… fiiiiiine…” she groaned, pushing up and leaning back in her chair.

“There ya go, you gotta keep whipping it until it’s nice and fluffy,” Prompto praised, as Zack worked on making the whipped cream. Once he was done, he exhaled sharply, panting a little bit. “Good job, sweetie. Go ahead and sit down, I’ll have breakfast ready soon.”

“Thanks, Mom,” the younger twin smiled, moving to the table. Smiling as Zack joined them, Noctis nodded his head to the boy in greeting. “Hey Dad? Is it true you can’t cook?” Zack asked suddenly, which made Prompto snort on a laugh, making Noctis look at his mate dryly.

“Not like your uncle or even your mother, no,” he said simply.

“Can you cook at all? Mom told us before you came back that he never saw you cook.”

“…I actually _can_ cook a little,” Noctis said simply, glancing to Prompto pointedly.

“I don’t count making sushi as actually cooking, Noct,” the blonde snorted in amusement. “Besides, Iggy taught me a lot in the beginning after having the twins.”

“Uh-huh… Sure, Prom, sure…”

Prompto merely stuck his tongue out at his mate childishly, before taking the pancakes out of the pan. “And there we go,” he smiled, setting a platter of pancakes out on the table, along with the butter, syrup, and whipped cream Zack had made. “Help yourselves, guys.”

Immediately, Regina snagged the first pancake from the top of the stack.

“Hey!” Zack protested with a pout. “I helped, so I get first dibs!” Regina merely stuck out her tongue at her brother, much to her parents’ amusement.

“Don’t worry, Zack, there’s plenty to go around,” Prompto soothed, lightly ruffling his son’s hair and drawing a yelp from him. “Go ahead and dish yourself up.”

“Okay,” Zack nodded, and he soon did just that, finishing with a dollop of whipped cream on his pancakes. Prompto looked at his mate pointedly as he sat down, wordlessly telling him to fix his plate so the blonde could eat. Noctis chuckled as he did just that, while keeping an eye on the twins on occasion. Once the twins started eating and Noctis had dished himself up, Prompto got his portion.

“This is so good!” Zack grinned happily after swallowing a bite.

“Good to know Iggy’s efforts on teaching me to cook didn’t go to waste,” the omega chuckled. Regina didn’t say anything; she merely focused on eating, much like Noctis was, as the King seemed almost lost in thought about one thing or another.

“By the way, Regina, Zack,” Prompto said suddenly. “How would you two feel about a younger sibling?”

Regina paused mid-bite, blinking at Prompto in slight surprise. “Huh…?”

“Really?!” Zack gasped. “That’d be awesome!”

“Why so suddenly?” Regina asked, curious.

“It was something I’d been thinking about since before your father came home for _when_ he came home,” Prompto replied. Noctis chuckled softly at the words, not bothering to deny it at all.

“I’d like a younger sibling…” Zack admitted, glancing at his sister.

“Yeah, just so you’re not the youngest anymore, I’ll bet,” Regina joked with a chuckle.

“That’s not why!” her brother pouted. “…I’d like to have someone that looks up to me, like I do with you…” That clearly surprised Regina, as she blinked and stared at her brother in genuine shock, completely silent.

Prompto smiled kindly at his son, placing a hand on his shoulder before looking at Regina. “What do you think, Regina? Makes you rethink how your brother sees you, huh?”

“Well… I guess…” she admitted quietly.

“Do you think you’d want another sibling that looks up to you?”

“…” She didn’t respond immediately, and instead looked up to Noctis. The King didn’t say anything in turn, merely quirking an eyebrow at her with a soft smile. Finally, though, she turned back to Prompto. “Well…sure…I guess…”

“Good,” Prompto smiled. “Then you guys will have a little brother or sister in about eight months.”

“Awesome!” Zack grinned. Regina snorted a bit, but she was smiling as well.

“Better finish your breakfasts, and once we’re done, your father and I can talk to Iggy and Gladio about taking you camping,” their mother told them.

“Like how you and Dad used to with them?!” Zack gasped.

“Yep.”

“Sweet!”

“Now THAT is awesome!” Regina cheered with a laugh, making Noctis laugh.

“Wonder how long _that_ will last,” he said jokingly.

“Oh, hush. You know we had fun back then,” Prompto chided his mate.

“Didn’t hear you say it was fun after getting out of Costlemark… I do remember someone complaining about _needing_ an actual bath when we did.”

“Can’t exactly take a bath or shower in the wilderness. And Costlemark was gross.”

Regina chuckled a bit at the ‘banter’ but she said nothing else on the matter as she went back to her breakfast. Zack did the same, and soon enough, the family finished their breakfast. Once done, Prompto looked to Noctis.

“Mind calling Gladio and asking about them taking the twins camping while I clean up?” he asked.

“Sure,” Noctis said with a nod as he stood up and pulled out his phone, calling his Shield as Prompto and Zack took the plates to the sink.

“Heya Noct,” the large alpha greeted when he answered. “What’s up?”

“Ah, nothing much,” Noctis said with a shrug. “Just wanted to know if you and Iggy would be up to take the twins out camping.”

“Geez, haven’t been on an official camping trip in Six knows how long,” Gladio laughed. “I take it you’re having him in heat again?”

“Prom’s idea, but yeah,” the King said simply.

“Figured. He wasn’t keen on going back on suppressants when his heat was due to start up again while you were gone, to be honest…” Gladio admitted. “But sure, no sweat. I’ll talk to Iggy and we’ll be over soon.”

“Thanks, Gladio. We’ll make sure they’re ready by then.”

“Sounds like a plan. See you soon.” And then he hung up.

After putting his phone away, Noctis looked over to Regina, who was sitting on the couch, tapping a bit at her phone.

“Whatcha doin’?” Zack asked as he flopped over the back of the couch upside down, and hence looking at the screen upside down. He’d already helped finish cleaning up.

“King’s Knight,” the girl said, tapping away.

“You won’t get much of a chance to play when you go camping, ya know,” Prompto pointed out as he walked into the living room. “Speaking of which… Noct?”

“Hm?”

“What’d Gladio say?”

“He’ll head over with Iggy in a bit.”

“Yay!” Zack crowed from next to his sister. Regina didn’t reply right away, since she was still in the middle of a dungeon. “Come on, Regina! We need to get packed!”

“Yeah, yeah,” she mumbled, finishing up and finally getting up to her feet.

“Aren’t you excited at all, princess?” Prompto asked, frowning slightly.

“Not saying I’m not,” she said, stretching a bit. “I’m-a goin’,” she said, heading to her and Zack’s room, with Zack dashing ahead.

“Let’s help them just in case, since they haven’t been before,” their mother said, looking at his alpha.

“Good idea,” he said with a nod, following after. The parents helped the twins with their packing, advising them on what to pack and what wouldn’t be necessary. Once finished, as if on cue, there was a familiar knock on the door.

“And there they are,” Prompto commented as Zack darted past him to the door and answered it.

“Hi Uncle Gladio! Hi Uncle Iggy!” the young raven grinned.

“Heya squirt,” Gladio chuckled. “Where’s your twin?”

“Here,” Regina said, as she came over, tossing a bag along her shoulder.

“You two ready for a week of camping?” the brunette asked.

“Yep!” Zack chirped.

Ignis chuckled softly. “Well, someone’s excited,” he said.

“Well, not every day we’re going camping, right?” Regina said.

“She’s got a point,” Gladio agreed. “But we’ll take the last day at a hotel, in case you prefer an actual bed over the camping.” At that, Prompto snorted.

“Still don’t understand how you prefer a sleeping bag to a real bed,” he sighed, shaking his head. “Anyway…” He then pulled Zack and Regina closer, hugging them firmly. “Behave for your uncles, okay?”

“We will, Mom!” Zack assured him, hugging him back.

“Yeah, we’ll be good,” Regina added.

“Good. I love you both,” Prompto murmured, kissing them each on the forehead before giving them a light push toward their father. “Now go give your father a hug, too.”

Regina nodded and headed over, hugging Noctis as the King crouched to their level. Zack hugged Noctis, too, smiling brightly as he pulled away.

“Let’s get moving, you two,” Gladio chuckled. “And Noct?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t be too rough on him,” the Shield smirked, before shutting the door.

“…Seriously?”

Before Prompto could say anything, though, there was an audible smack from the other side of the door. Prompto was blushing, but he started laughing regardless.

“He _so_ had that coming to him!” he laughed, leaning against Noctis for support as he shook with the force of his laughter.

“Definitely…”

Once the blonde sobered up, he looked up at the raven with a suggestive smile. “It’s a good thing I already skipped my suppressant this morning,” he whispered, kissing his alpha briefly.

“…Are you serious?” Noctis grumbled, but he was chuckling regardless.

“I had a feeling they would be okay with another sibling,” the omega shrugged. The King snorted, but he said nothing as he placed his hands on the blonde’s hips. “…You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this…” Prompto murmured, brushing his lip against Noctis’s.

“Hmm…about 10 years, I’m guessing…” Noctis murmured before pressing in harder.

“It’s been longer when you think about it, buster,” the smaller male smirked when they parted again. “Six months without any intimacy since you came back… I didn’t even touch myself while I was waiting for you.”

“I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: you’re impossible.”

“And yet you wouldn’t be with me if you didn’t love me for it.”

Noctis snorted, before he pulled Prompto into a fierce kiss. The blonde was quick to respond, kissing his alpha heatedly, practically clinging to the taller male by his shoulders. Growling from the back of his throat, Noctis pulled him flush up against him, moving his tongue across the blonde’s lip sensually. And Prompto would never deny him, as he parted his lips eagerly, purring as his tongue met his mate’s. Noctis didn’t need any further incentive, as he reached down and grabbed Prompto by his ass, lifting him off of his feet.

The omega swiftly wrapped his legs around his mate’s waist, a soft moan escaping him. And as soon as he did, Noctis began the slow trek toward the bedroom, taking care not to bump into anything. Prompto behaved as his mate carried him to their bedroom, not wanting to make Noctis drop him on accident, after all, but he purred louder as he felt the King squeeze his ass as they went.

As soon as they got there, though, Noctis pushed Prompto off to bounce on the bed. The blonde gazed up at the raven with lust-darkened blue eyes, licking his lips briefly before tugging his shirt off…revealing a few battle scars that were new to Noctis. This caused Noctis to tense briefly, and his expression fell momentarily. “Prom…”

Prompto looked down, before realizing what Noctis was seeing, and he cringed. “…S-sorry…” he whispered, thinking Noctis didn’t want him now because of them.

“Why are you apologizing?”

The omega bit his lip and lowered his gaze, his insecurities trying to claw their way back into his mind. “…You…you don’t…want me like this…do you?”

Startled at the sudden leap in logic, Noctis almost didn’t say anything, but then he frowned sadly and got onto the bed as well, pressing a kiss to the blonde’s lips. A few tears slipped from Prompto’s eyes unbidden when he closed them at the contact, even as he kissed back slowly, almost hesitantly.

Finally, Noctis pulled away slowly. “That’s not it, Prom…”

The poor blonde looked up at his alpha in silent question, and Noctis could visibly see how anxious his omega was to have contact with the King again, based upon his twitching fingers. Rather than say anything, Noctis lightly pushed Prompto down onto his back. Then, Noctis pressed his lips against the blonde’s chest, beginning to place warm kisses along the battle scars, one by one. Prompto whimpered in pleasure at the warm contact, and, unable to hold back any longer, he grasped at Noctis’s shoulders, a quiet moan escaping him here and there.

Purring softly, Noctis continued to kiss his way along the scars, gently licking across the healed skin. His omega gave a strained noise as he felt himself hardening, his pants becoming tight due to the alpha’s actions. After what felt like forever, Noctis finally pulled back and looked down at his mate with dark eyes.

Prompto gazed up at the King, a quiet, needy whine escaping him. Without saying anything, Noctis ducked his head down and kissed his mate deeply, burying his hands into the omega’s hair. The smaller male kissed back heatedly, moaning into the kiss as he gripped the sides the Noctis’s shirt, tugging at the material.

Chuckling softly, Noctis moved his arms back, letting Prompto pull his shirt up, briefly breaking away to pull the article of clothing away. Once the shirt was gone, Prompto pulled the raven back in for another heated kiss, weaving his fingers into the ebony locks. Finally, the alpha pulled back and began to place hot, wet kisses along his mate’s throat, purring loudly.

The omega moaned and mewled at the teasing to his throat, but squirmed a little beneath Noctis as he tried to adjust himself in his pants without touching them. Noctis, however, moved his hand down, and then firmly pressed down along the omega’s clothed cock. Immediately, Prompto’s eyes widened as he let out a choked cry.

Chuckling, Noctis began to nip along the skin, pressing and rubbing, gradually adding more and more pressure. The blonde couldn’t stop himself from pressing into the touch, needing more of his alpha.

Chuckling, Noctis pulled back slightly and asked, “What’s wrong, Prom?”

“Need you… Please, Noct…!” Prompto begged.

“How badly?”

Prompto whined pitifully, distressed tears forming in his eyes as he wordlessly tried to communicate just how desperately he needed Noctis. Chuckling, Noctis moved in to kiss him again, reaching for the button of Prompto’s pants and flicking it open silently. The smaller male gave a small, choked cry into his alpha’s mouth out of relief, pressing harder into the kiss as he whimpered with need.

And the moment the sound finished, Noctis slipped his hand past the material. Immediately, Prompto gasped, his hands once again gripping Noctis’s shoulders, but a bit tighter this time, his blunt nails digging in. He hadn’t felt like this in so long, and he hadn’t been joking when he’d told Noctis he hadn’t touched himself since Noctis had disappeared into the Crystal.

“You want it?” Noctis purred heavily.

“I’ve been _waiting_ for this…!” the omega hissed out of desperation. Noctis smirked cheekily, as he began to pull off the blonde’s pants, while nipping on Prompto’s throat again and again. Prompto gasped as the material of his pants and underwear rubbed against his erection on the way down, before whimpering loudly.

Laughing at the sound, Noctis reached up and curled his hand around the blonde’s cock, squeezing firmly. The blonde moaned out his lover’s name from the touch alone, and he knew it was going to end way too soon if Noctis kept this up for too long.

“N…Noct…! F-fuck me…p-please…!!” he stuttered out through his moans. Groaning softly, Noctis briefly kissed Prompto, before he finally moved back and slipped out of his own pants. Prompto whined again, the sound hitching as he started to produce slick, feeling the slippery substance trickle out of his ass.

Growling, Noctis moved in immediately, and kissed Prompto fiercely, while at the same time pushing in. The omega gasped sharply into the raven’s mouth, because even though he had started producing slick, there was still a slight sting since they hadn’t had sex in so long.

Pulling back, Noctis breathed out softly, “You kay?”

“…Y…yeah… Just been…too long…” Prompto choked out, burying his face in the crook of Noctis’s neck to hide the shimmer of forming tears in his eyes. He didn’t want to stop now, nor would he be able to bear it if they stopped at all. And he was honestly _terrified_ Noctis would stop if he saw the tears.

However, what he forgot, was that while he couldn’t see it, Noctis could definitely _feel_ it. “Prom…” he murmured, pulling away a bit so he could look at the blonde’s face. “It’s okay…” he breathed, pressing soft kiss to his cheeks. “Everything’s fine…”

The smaller male gave a slightly distressed noise, before shifting his hips a little to try and adjust to his alpha’s girth. “M-move…please, Noct…!” he stuttered out in a plea. And the King nodded in response, kissing his mate deeply and beginning to move. Prompto moaned against Noctis’s lips from the feeling he hadn’t experienced in so long, that this was almost like their first time together all over again, and wrapped his arms around the raven’s neck, holding him close.

Pulling back from the kiss, Noctis once again bit and sucked along Prompto’s throat, licking at the pulse pounding at the skin there. And his omega gasped, moaned, and mewled with every thrust, digging his blunt nails into the raven’s shoulders shallowly. Chuckling breathlessly, Noctis brought down one hand, and then curled it around the blonde’s cock once again.

Prompto whined loudly at the touch, unable to resist wrapping his legs around Noctis’s hips and crying out in pleasure as the change in angle allowed his alpha to strike his prostate powerfully with each following thrust. Groaning at the tightness, Noctis moved Prompto’s head to the side, and then began to bite at the blonde’s mark, thrusting harder and faster as he did. The blonde cried out at the change, shuddering heavily as he felt his release getting even closer. However, he did _not_ want this to end too soon, and he tried desperately to hold back.

But Noctis was determined to change that, and both squeezed his cock and bit sharply on Prompto’s mark while hitting his prostate. Unable to hold back from the combination of pleasurable sensations, Prompto screamed Noctis’s name as his release hit him, _hard_ , his cum coating both their stomachs as he clenched around the King. Noctis groaned as his mate clenched around him, managing only two more thrusts before his own release hit him.

The smaller male whined tiredly, shivering violently as he felt the long-missed feeling of his mate’s seed filling him. Breathing heavily for a moment more, Noctis finally pulled away and laid down on the bed next to the blonde. Prompto, even though he wanted to, couldn’t curl close, simply too tired to do so.

Thankfully, his mate seemed to catch on to that, as he pulled his omega closer to him. And the blonde purred contently was he was tucked close to Noctis, clearly satiated for the time being.

“…Happy?”

“Yeah…” Prompto whispered, smiling softly. “I missed this so much…”

Noctis smiled, pressing a kiss to the blonde’s forehead. “Get some rest, Prom… I’ll be here when you wake up.”

“Kay…” the omega murmured, yawning widely before snuggling closer as he fell asleep.

 

X*X(3 Days Later)X*X

Three days had passed since Prompto stopped taking his suppressants, and it was currently the middle of the night. The blonde was curled against Noctis closely as he slept, purring softly. However, he woke up when a sharp headache hit him, letting out a quiet hiss from the pain.

As the blonde tensed against him, Noctis groaned sleepily and blinked his eyes open slowly. “…hm?”

“Head hurts…” Prompto whimpered, rubbing his temples.

“Prom…?” the King got out as he sat up slowly, still a bit tired, until he caught a very familiar smell. The smaller male’s skin was already becoming flushed as he sat there, a faint sheen of sweat already covering him as his breathing sped up. Hissing slightly as the blonde’s scent hit him and woke him up fully, Noctis held himself back momentarily, biting his lip as he reached for Prompto’s forehead to wipe the sweat away.

However, Prompto moaned quietly at the touch, shuddering as he felt himself already hardening. Which, in turn, made Noctis curse quietly under his breath, before the King grabbed his mate’s head and turned him around so he could kiss him fiercely. The omega kissed back hotly, a small whine escaping into it as his hands sought to grasp his alpha’s shoulders.

Noctis swiftly pushed him down to the bed again, nipping at the blonde’s lip, making him open his mouth before pushing his tongue inside. Prompto whimpered into Noctis’s mouth, before he broke away when he needed air, and then began to tug desperately at his pajama pants, since Noctis now knew of his battle scars, and he had stopped wearing a shirt to bed. Growling, Noctis reached down and yanked the article of clothing away, nearly tearing it to bits.

The reaction drew a startled yip from the blonde, before he pulled the raven in for another heated kiss. This made the alpha groan briefly, as he wrapped his arms around the blonde’s shoulders, pulling him closer, as if he was trying to draw his omega into his own body. Prompto wasn’t protesting, but he did whine pitifully as he started to become achingly hard.

And Noctis noticed, as he pulled back from the kiss, looking down at his mate with lust-darkened eyes. The smaller male gazed up at the King pleadingly, spreading his legs a bit wider and shivering as slick began to leak from his ass. Growling softly, Noctis regarded his mate for a moment more, before he smirked cheekily—and then ducked his head down.

Immediately, Prompto cried out with pleasure, shuddering heavily and grasping at his lover’s ebony locks. The alpha chuckled around the blonde’s flesh, before he proceeded to lick and suck whilst he bobbed his head almost lazily, despite the scent of his omega making it hard to think. The omega huffed out rapidly as he clenched up, trying to keep his release at bay, unable to even warn Noctis.

Not that it mattered, as Noctis moved one hand up, and teased at his omega’s twitching entrance, though only briefly before pushing two fingers in. Prompto gasped at the sensation, barely rocking his hips back against the King’s fingers before thrusting up into the taller male’s mouth. The raven groaned heavily, as he continued to bob his head and thrust his fingers in and out of the blonde, gradually picking up speed.

The sounds and noises the blonde emitted from his throat were starting to drive Noctis crazy with desire, and it soon became too much to continue teasing Prompto. Growling, Noctis suddenly pulled back, shimmying out of his own sleepwear, and, without warning, lifted up Prompto’s leg and thrust into the smaller male. A sharp gasp escaped Prompto, quickly followed by a pleasured, guttural groan as he clenched briefly around his mate.

Hissing softly, Noctis reached for one of Prompto’s hand, grabbing hold of it as he began moving. The smaller male moaned and mewled with each and every thrust from Noctis, feeling his alpha’s knot starting to build as he was thrust into. With every thrust, the raven’s knot pushed in further and further, making a wet slopping noise whenever he pulled it back out again, before it pushed past the muscle entirely.

Prompto gave yet another pleased cry as that happened, tightening his grip on Noctis’s hand on his, his free hand reaching up and curling in those ebony locks once again. Gasping with every thrust, Noctis tightened his grip on the blonde’s hand, before he moved down and fiercely kissed his mate. The omega, unable to hold out any longer, broke off the kiss and screamed Noctis’s name as he came, his cum coating both their stomachs.

Noctis gasped softly, before he groaned, practically slamming into his mate as well as he could with his knot. And then, with a guttural cry he released into his mate. Prompto shuddered heavily as his alpha’s white-hot seed filled him, letting out a keening whine in response before purring softly. Exhaling heavily, Noctis lowered his head to Prompto’s neck, pressing hot, open-mouthed kisses against the skin, growling softly.

The blonde moaned quietly at the kisses to his neck, resting a hand in his mate’s hair and lightly running his fingers through the soft locks. His breath hitched when he felt that familiar pulse and the following warmth inside of himself, making him purr loudly. Still growling, Noctis canted his hips still, shifting his kisses to Prompto’s throat and the bottom of his chin. Prompto purred even louder, before he moved his hand to Noctis’s cheek, running his thumb over the taller male’s cheek and facial hair.

Noctis breathed several times more, as his knot finally went down enough for him to pull out from his mate without it being painful. Once he was out, the smaller male snuggled close to his alpha, not caring in the least about the cum he could feel leaking out of himself.

Noctis grunted softly, before he murmured softly, “Love you, Prom…”

“Love you, too, Noct…” Prompto whispered, kissing Noctis tenderly.

“…you feel ready for the next one?” Noctis murmured softly, resting a hand on Prompto’s stomach.

Opening one bright blue eye lazily, Prompto watched his mate for a few seconds, before smiling warmly and saying, “As long as I have you by my side, I’m ready for anything.”

“Good to know…” Noctis murmured. Yawning tiredly, the blonde cuddled even closer to the King, humming softly as he began to drift off. And Noctis merely smiled as he rested his head against Prompto’s. He knew he’d probably need all the rest he could get.


End file.
